Dave's Diary

Daily Reading: 1 Timothy 5:1-10

This passage gives us a fascinating glimpse into the way the early local churches viewed themselves as extended families, and understood that they had a responsibility to be faithful to one another as Christ’s Family. This faithfulness involved always treating each other with respect and honour, and it worked itself out in ways as diverse as rebuking sin well (v,1), exhorting one another to remain faithful to Christ (v.2), relating to one another in purity (v.2), and quite an intricate system for allowing widows to be cared for materially, while they served the wider Church family spiritually and practically (3-10).

But the verses I’m particularly drawn to this morning are v4 and 8, which say: “But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God … Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

Faithfulness in caring for our own elderly relatives and our own households and biological families is a fundamental Christian responsibility and value. Our spiritual faithfulness to the Lord Jesus absolutely has to be given expression through our material and relational faithfulness to the families in which He has placed us. And this is a priority. Sacrificing our family on the altar of our Church commitments is not an acceptable offering to the Lord. It is not honouring to the Lord of the family. Today let’s consider how we can further our faithfulness to caring for the spiritual and material needs of our families, households and relatives – especially those who are most vulnerable – out of honour for the Lord Jesus.

Lord, help me to see how You are calling me to live out the value of faithfulness in my family better. And give me the grace to follow Your call. Amen.