December 10 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading:

1 Timothy 5:

¹Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;
²The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.
³Honour widows that are widows indeed.
⁴But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.
⁵Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day.
⁶But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.
⁷And these things give in charge, that they may be blameless.
⁸But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
⁹Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man.
¹⁰Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work.
¹¹But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry;
¹²Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith.
¹³And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.
¹⁴I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.
¹⁵For some are already turned aside after Satan.
¹⁶If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.
¹⁷Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
¹⁸For the scripture saith, thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.
¹⁹Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.
²⁰Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.
²¹I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.
²²Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure.
²³Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.
²⁴Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.
²⁵Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.

Devotional:

What a practical book the Bible is! God provides for the nitty-gritties as well as for the so-called 'spiritual' aspects of the lives of His people.

A man's basic function in the human economy is to work to earn a living for himself and his family. Nowhere in God's revelation are we given the impression that an attitude of vague 'trusting the Lord' for our daily provisions is permissible without first applying ourselves as diligently as the ant to laying up store for self and family. The Book of Proverbs calls a man a fool who is lazy and does not exert himself energetically in his work or handle his financial affairs wisely.

We must not only follow this pattern for ourselves but we must teach it to our children. Parents can be too soft in the training of their children! Regular hours, good health habits, the faithful performance of a task, the careful use of money, all enter into preparation for a life of adult responsibility.

Some day, in the providence of God, we may be recipients of help from our children! If it proves necessary, we must not be fiercely proud. This is all part of God's plan for the care of His people. We must then give thanks to Him and to our children who are the agents through whom He is providing for His own. We must give thanks, too, for His grace in having enabled us to give to our children in their youth training which contributed to their sense of responsibility and their ability to help to provide for their needy parents.

God's special provisions for dependents are spelled out as carefully as those of our Internal Revenue Service! But they are so much simpler and more beautiful!