NO BIBLE NO BREAKFAST DAILY BIBLE REFLECTIONS AND MORE

COMMUNITY OF CARE (1 TIMOTHY 5:1-16)

REFLECTION
Community of care is the theme for our reflection. Community of care means a community that looks out for each other, takes an interest in and works to address the physical, emotional, and health and safety well-being of all community members. The church is not only a faith entity but also a community of care that caters for the needs of the poor and vulnerable.

Paul instructs Timothy as a church leader to pay attention to issues of welfare of the vulnerable and needy, “Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. ⁴ 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. ⁵ The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. ⁶ But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. ⁷ Give the people these instructions, so that no one may be open to blame. ⁸ Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:3-8). Paul acknowledged that the church may not be financially and logistically placed to take up the welfare needs of all members therefore he instructs Timothy to have a welfare scheme based on the priority of the needs of the vulnerable and poor in the church. The emphasis was placed on the vulnerable and needy aged and widows. It is important to note that a vulnerable and needy person is one who has little or no family support or social support. It means that an aged person who has children cannot be classified as a needy person since it is expected that his or her family member, especially children will cater for his or her needs. An aged person who has family catering for him or her must not place her burden on the church since the church is expected to use the limited resources available to cater for those who have no family or social support. It is rather unfortunate and surprising to note that some aged people who have adequate family support become agitated when they are exempted from the scanty resources being offered to the vulnerable and needy in the church. Some are of the view that they have also contributed offerings or made donations to the church in past years, therefore, they ought to benefit from the welfare packages meant for the poor and vulnerable.

Beloved in the Lord, the church is not a savings and investment bank or a financial institution where we anticipate that our investment will yield some good return in the future. We must be thankful to God for blessing our children to become resourceful thereby making us beneficiaries of their blessings. We must never desire to share in the bread of the needy because it is sometimes not adequate or sufficient. We must continue to be grateful to God for His ever sufficient grace. We must be grateful and content that God has saved us from becoming dependent on charity.

Dear friend in Christ, every resourceful or gainfully employed Christian or believer must cater for his nuclear and extended family members, especially the vulnerable and needy. You have been blessed to become a blessing to family and society. You are a steward of God’s blessings therefore “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:8). You cannot be a resourceful Christian or believer and expect the church to take care of your needy and vulnerable relatives. The church is a Community of Care with limited resources targeted towards the most vulnerable and needy such as the aged, widows and orphans. The Church and for that matter all resourceful Christians are greatly admonished in James 1:27, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. “ Again, “If any woman (or anyone) who is a believer has widows in her (or their) care, she (or they) should continue to help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows (or vulnerable and needy) who are really in need. (1 Timothy 5:16)

Again, a widow who is productive, gainfully employed or runs her business profitably cannot be said to be vulnerable and needy for the mere fact that she is a widow. The church as a community of care is expected to pay attention to needy and aged widows who have little or no family or social support. A young widow must work, be productive and if possible remarry and have a family. It is for this reason Paul wrote, “So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. ¹⁵ Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.” (1 Timothy 5:14-15).

In summary, we have discovered that beyond fellowship, the church is a community of care that caters for the needs of the poor and vulnerable. Apart from the people identified as vulnerable and needy, every Christian is expected to work and be resourceful to the church and society. Our faith is incomplete and we fail to please God if we neglect the welfare of our aged parents and other vulnerable and needy family members. We must not put extra burden on the Church if we are capable of taking care of our family members and ourselves. Shalom.

PRAYER
Almighty God, continue to bless the church with abundant resources to adequately respond to its welfare challenges. May we be blessed individually to remain a blessing to our family, society and the church. Amen.