Care for Your Family!

Bible Reading: 1 Timothy 5:8

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 5:8)

Sometimes the Bible says things that should be obvious. The fact that the Bible says them, however, means they aren’t as obvious as they seem. Here’s one example: Care for your family!

Shouldn’t that be obvious? If parents have young children, should they care for them? Yes! Yet, our world is filled with stories of abuse and neglect. If your parents are growing old, should you care for them? Of course! Yet, our world is filled with lonely and forgotten senior citizens. 

What should be obvious isn’t so obvious, because every one of us cares about one person more than everyone else. Whom? Me! Ourselves. Sinful selfishness knows no bounds. Thinking about ourselves first and caring about ourselves first and providing for ourselves first comes so naturally to every one of us. The Bible has a warning: “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives…has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” God wants us to care for our families!

Jesus did. Remember whom Jesus cared for even while he was dying on the cross? His mother! By that point in Jesus’ life, it seems like Mary was a widow. As Jesus died, his mother was on his mind. He told his disciple John to care for her (John 19:25-27). What a Savior we have! Even as he died on the cross, Jesus cared for his mother—and for you and me. Christ’s love compels us to care for our families.

Do you have a widowed mother or father? Do you spend a lot of time caring for them and visiting them and even going through the mail for them? Great! That’s exactly what a Christian does. Do you have young children? Does it seem like everyday you’re spending more money on them? Good! That’s exactly what your money is for: Caring for your family. Do you have a spouse who is going through a sickness or difficulty? Does it take a lot of time to help and care for him or her? What better use of your time could there possibly be than to comfort and care for your husband or wife?

In a “me-first” world, Jesus’ love leads Christians to care for their families. Who in your family needs care today?

Dear Father, you have placed every one of us into a family. All our families are different, but all our families have needs. May your love for us motivate us to care for our families every day. Amen.

Pastor Nathan