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Bible Study Living in the Spirit

1 Timothy: Who Do We Love?

“But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.” – 1 Timothy 5:4

Preparing dinner at our house is always tricky. My husband is easy to please, but Jackson, our son, is a picky eater. When I do get it right and Jackson will eat what I have prepared, I make a mental note so I can see him smile and eat what I have cooked. Even though some things I do not care for myself. Why do we do this? Jump through hurdles and put what we want aside. Because we love them.

Who do you love?

It seems like a ridiculously simple gesture and a way too emotional response, but I can remember a day when my love was more limited and my unnecessary “no’s” were much more frequent in my home. More often than I’d like to admit. Too many times I have given my best away to those outside of my home, offering my family only my impatience and leftovers like they were an obstacle or an afterthought.

Oh God, forgive me.

In 1 Timothy 5, Paul admonishes Timothy with instructions for how to show honor and respect to specific individuals within the church, but interestingly, it’s not long before the family is brought into the equation:

“But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.” – 1 Timothy 5:4

Paul’s words should cause us to not only reflect how we show love, honor, and respect to those in the church, but also how we show godliness to the ones who know us in the most intimate spaces – those in our own families. These are the hard questions.

Do I regularly look for opportunities to encourage, honor, and provide tangible help for those in my church and family as I’m able, or am I frustrated by the needs of others as I look to serve my own interests?

Do I seek to show value, grace, and love to all people, or am I investing only in those who are like me or those who can advance my status or personal agenda?

Am I reflecting my love for God in the way I treat those in my family and church, or am I consistently detached and unavailable?

Am I providing a godly model for the next generation in how I love and care for others?

Oh Father, transform the way we love others so that we look more like You.

For our families.

For Your Church.

For the light of the gospel and the glory of Christ…

“In their case the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 4:4-6