1 Timothy 5:1-2, 8
Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.…. Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
This concept of family is either very complicated or very simple. Probably it can be both. God set us in families on this earth. From the very first, we were in pairs and small groups. Our love for those in our own family is deep and intense. We want the best for them, and we hurt when they hurt. In his letter to Timothy, Paul instructs us to treat others as if they were members of our own family, with love and respect. Family love is something nearly every person has experienced, and when it is missing, it is damaging. I am thinking this morning about taking these verses with me during my day, and remembering them in every interaction. Would this change how I treat others?
Holy One, thank you for these words from Paul. I will try to remember them, and follow them. You are the greatest teacher. Amen
Becky, transforming
pic by Kay