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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Thursday, 15 August 2024:
1 Timothy 5:1-4 — Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity. Honor widows who are truly widows. 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.
Today’s verses have much to say about the demand for maintaining both the character and competence to build others up and care for the needs of others. Godly attributes include both purity and hard work as the fruits of love for God and for others. Today’s instructions to the church by Paul are similar to what he said to the Thessalonians: “Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.” (1 Thessalonians 4:9-11) Love others; live quietly; work hard; walk properly; glorify God.
It is easy to be critical, but it is harder to be constructive. Everyone seems to have an opinion, but few seem to come with an offering to personally make the difference. As the adage goes, “Everyone wants to change the world, but no one wants to help mom do the dishes.” Or as the Afghans say, “Talk doesn’t make flowers grow.” Two things everyone seems to agree on: Things aren’t right, and it’s someone else’s fault. Today, Paul encourages us to make a difference in the lives of others – encourage them, set the example in conduct (purity and hard work), and “make some return” for others, starting with your own family. Don’t just rebuke others for what they aren’t doing, work hard personally to make people and situations better.
Jesus said the greatest commandment is, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27) The great commandment of love requires effort for the sake of others, in fact, it requires all of our effort. We have to have a heart for others, and we have to have a plan to love others (loving with all of your mind), and then we have to do the hard work (loving with all your strength), we have to labor in love. Good people do good work, and loving people love to work hard for others. In fact, we were made for work and to have a positive impact on our environment through our work. The first thing God gave Adam was a job, and the second thing God gave Adam was a “helpmate,” so they could work together to love Him and each other in their mutual work. (Genesis 2) Work was ordained by God as “good.” Only sin, self-centeredness, made work toilsome and meaningless. Paul calls us to redeem work by doing the work God intended, fruitful labors of love.
“Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not.” Today, Paul contrasts those who are busy with busybodies, those who work hard to make a difference as opposed who those who just go around gossiping, criticizing, and complaining. Compare our readings in 1 Timothy today with Proverbs 26: Notice that Proverbs 26 starts off describing the “fool” who is wise in his own eyes, doesn’t listen, is quick to express his own opinion, doesn’t understand the truth, and only hurts others with his words and opinions; then Proverbs 26 transitions to the “sluggard” who doesn’t work; finally, Proverbs 26 concludes by talking about the quarrelsome gossip, deceiver, and slanderer. All these attributes are discussed together intentionally in Proverbs as Paul does in 1 Timothy because they are all attributes of a self-centered, unloving person. Not everyone who works hard is loving, but everyone who is truly loving works hard, and staying busy working hard for others is a great way to avoid sinning.
– Proverbs 18:9 — Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.
– Ephesians 4:28 — Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
– 2 Thessalonians 3:10 — For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.
– Colossians 3:22-24 — Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
– Proverbs 14:23 — In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.
– Psalm 90:17 — Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!
– 1 Corinthians 16:14 — Let all that you do be done in love.
– Proverbs 12:11 — Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.
How hard will you work today for the sake of others? How will your hard work today improve the lives of others and contribute to a more positive environment? How will you personally make a difference? How will your family be blessed through your attitude and actions today? Today is a good day for less complaining and more contribution for God’s glory and for the benefit of others. Start in your own home.
1 Timothy 5:8 — But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Questions?
1 Timothy 5:21 — I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.
Everyone must be held accountable equally and must also be cared for equally.
1 Timothy 5:21-25 – [Do] nothing from partiality. Do not… take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure…. The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.
God’s purpose for us is unity and oneness with Him (John 17:3, 22-23) and conformity to the image or character of Christ (Romans 8:29). The Great Commission of the church is the “make disciples” (apprentices of Jesus) who actually do all that He commanded as the natural product of love for Him and others (Matthew 28:19-20). The Bible says we are to be the image and light of Christ before a spiritually blind world, living the lives He would live if He were us. However, too often churches and church people are satisfied judging professions of faith without judging the proof of faith. We are very concerned about what a person says they believe and not concerned enough about what they really believe, revealed by what they actually do consistently as the product of who they are at the core and who they are becoming. People often profess things they don’t really believe and believe things they don’t profess; people will even commit to things in which they don’t really believe when pressured to do so. Paul points out in these verses that sometimes we can deceive ourselves and others with good behavior or by hiding our sins, but eventually our heart will be exposed, it “cannot remain hidden.” However, we don’t want to promote superficiality and externalism, so the Bible reminds us in many places to shed light on what we would prefer to keep hidden through transparent confession, both to God and to each other, and graceful, loving accountability among Christians. Of course, none of that can happen without healthy Christian community, genuine, personal, consistent, long-standing relationships with fellow disciples. Paul is giving instructions to Timothy concerning his personal behavior, but he is directing him within the context of church relationships. To be very clear, you cannot fulfill God’s purpose for your life apart from a community in Christ, and the greatest evidence of your unity with Christ will be your unity with fellow believers. Your greatest testimony to the world of the Gospel will be your relationships with other Christians.
- John 17:3, 22-23 — And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent…. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
- John 15:10-17 — If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
- 1 John 4:7-21 — Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 15 August 2024: Work with all your strength today out of love to take care of the needs of others. Start with taking care of your own family. If you have neglected your family in any way, recommit today to taking care of them. Don’t overthink it. Just do it. “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Timothy 5:8)
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 