WIDOWS. 1st Timothy 5:3. Christian families are expected to be self-supporting. The care of widows, orphans, and strangers was practiced by God's people in the Old Testament and continues in the New Testament. In New Testament times, men were more often executed than women because of their faith and their public work for the Gospel. Widows, in particular, were those without human support. They not only lost their husbands but also had no family to help or support them. “Widows indeed” have no relatives to support them. Material support in the early church came from family members, including children and grandchildren (“nephews”). Christian families were meant to be self-supporting.
Widows with children and grandchildren are naturally cared for by their families. They need financial, emotional, and physical support that vulnerable people require. Families have the primary obligation to help these needy individuals. The church cares for those who are lonely and isolated, but not merely as an act of charity. They should be respected for who they are and what they do. Offering encouragement, assistance, and financial support are ways to demonstrate our fellowship and appreciation for them.
The families of individuals in need are initially responsible for caring for the helpless so the community can support those without families. Those who are helpless may require money, but more often, they need words of encouragement, someone to listen to them, and a helping hand with tasks that make life easier for those unable to do what is necessary for their care and safety.
Women, and sometimes men, who are truly alone have no one left in the world or live nearby with a family connection. A “widow indeed” has no one at home to help, support, or care for her physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. She has no one to talk to or share food with. Day after day, she tries to make ends meet by carefully conserving the little she has to eat.
Often, she wondered where she could find food. She knows others who have less than she does, so she shares her little with them. She doesn’t complain or ask her brothers and sisters for help, but there’s no doubt that deep down, she wonders about the future and where to start. Her search to meet her needs continues the next day. Maybe she wonders how to look happy and not be dishonest when she greets others.
Such people deserve our honor, help, and support, especially those who, among other things, have a good report. It is right to give money, food, and shelter so that she doesn’t have to worry, making her days much brighter. As members of God’s family and those without an earthly family, we need to help her as a daughter or son would. Care for them, help them, and truly support widows. We are responsible for them, beyond just providing physical food to survive. They need spiritual nourishment when we gather together. We can help meet many of their needs through our sincere effort by seeing them as our Lord Jesus Christ does.
This kind of respect and responsibility is taught to children and grandchildren in the homes of the Lord's people. Ways to meet needs motivated by love are characteristic of those who love the Lord. When an assembly acts responsibly and generously, it meets the needs of those without support, and its community testimony remains positive. Widows are always special to God. The way parents treat the extended family influences how our children learn about their responsibilities toward others. They observe and learn from their parents.
An older believer who has a faithful testimony, is respected and honored, and is modeled by parents and a different generation, will earn respect from children. It is a denial of what we believe and "the faith" if I do not respond to my own family's needs. To profess I believe the Bible and its teachings, yet not love God and His people, is dishonest if one claims to be a believer and shows traits of someone who isn't. For us, God's grace serves as a strong motivation to meet the needs of others. Both character and conduct are essential for those who give and those who receive benefits.
Initiative in these matters should be taken without waiting to be assigned or asked. We need to “provoke one another to love and good works.”