Read 1 Timothy 5:1–16
Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need.
1 Timothy 5:3
The church could not care for all the widows in the city, but it should
care for believers who are a part of the fellowship. We should “do good
to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers”
(Gal. 6:10). A widow the church helps should not be a self-indulgent
person, seeking pleasure, but a godly woman who hopes in God and
has a ministry of intercession and prayer. See Luke 2:36–37 for an
example of a godly widow.
It has been my experience in three different pastorates that
godly widows are “spiritual powerhouses” in the church. They are the
backbone of the prayer meetings. They give themselves to visitation,
and they swell the ranks of teachers in the Sunday school. It has also
been my experience that, if a widow is not godly, she can be a great
problem to the church. She will demand attention, complain about
what the younger people do, and often “hang on the telephone”
and gossip. (Of course, it is not really “gossip.” She only wants her
friends to be able to “pray more intelligently” about these matters!)
Paul made it clear (1 Tim. 5:7) that church-helped widows must be
“blameless”—irreproachable.
Something to Ponder
How have godly widows inspired or helped you spiritually? What
other “categories” of believers have had a positive impact on your
spiritual growth?