Episode 1182: Being A Provider

[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: Thanks for joining me on episode 1082 of the inspired stewardship podcast.

[00:00:05] David Wood: I'm David Wood. I challenge you to invest in yourself and others and impact the world by using your gifts to live out your calling, having the ability to speak your truth is key. And one way to learn how to do that is listen to this, the inspired stewardship podcast with my friend, Scott Mader.

[00:00:27] I'll see you.

[00:00:28] Scott Maderer: If you think about it, Jesus himself provides for his own mother when he's passing away. When he is leaving, he says to his mother, this beloved disciple is now your son, meet your mother. He gives someone responsibility for taking care of his family. And he gives his family responsibility for taking care of them.

[00:00:52] Welcome. And thank you for joining us on the inspired stewardship podcast. If you truly desire to become the person who [00:01:00] God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent and your treasures for your true calling in the inspired stewardship podcast, who will learn to invest in yourself, invest in others and develop your influence.

[00:01:14] So that. Can impact the world

[00:01:18] in today's spiritual foundation episode about investing in others. I talk with you about first Timothy chapter five versus seven through eight. I share what this passage means in the context of the ti of that time and today. And I also share how these instructions apply to how we view life as a Christian first Timothy chapter five versus seven and eight.

[00:01:42] Give the people, these instructions so that no one may be open to blame. Anyone who does not provide for their relatives and especially for their own household has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Now, this is one of those passages that oftentimes is quoted by [00:02:00] people when. We're talking about taking care of our own family, taking care of those that are close to us first, I've heard it often described to that idea of when you're at an airplane and the oxygen mask comes down, put the oxygen mask on yourself before you put it on other people, make sure you're taking care of yourself first.

[00:02:20] And there's some truth to that, but there's also some context that may be lost. If you read the rest of chapter five, it. Starts with, do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him. If his, as if he was your father treat young men as brothers and older women as mothers and younger women as sisters with absolute.

[00:02:44] Purity. And then it goes on to talk about giving recognition and care to widows and their children and grandchildren and taking care of those that may be in need. Then it gives this [00:03:00] instruction about taking care of your own household. In fact, it's buried in the middle of the section about widows and making sure that you're looking at somebody correctly.

[00:03:12] As a widow, somebody who fits this category, because the idea is that a younger woman should marry again. Why an older woman has become a widow and needs care. There's also more in this about. Keeping yourself pure. There's more in this, about the elders of the Oaks. In fact, the do not muzzle in ox. White is treading out the grain passages in here as well.

[00:03:40] Because it's talking about a bunch of instructions that Paul is providing to Timothy about a bunch of different groups. Basically Timothy is being instructed by Paul regarding the treatment [00:04:00] of older and younger men of widows and of others within the church. It's about. Making sure that charity is not being wasted on those that can take care of themselves, but instead is being used effectively to take care of those who can't help themselves.

[00:04:21] And this bit about family is pointing out that one of the first line of defenses against poverty and against being not taken care of is your family. And the idea. What is family here? Is it just the people quote in your own household, your immediate family, but even the extended family of, for instance, the wife of your brother or those that are not living under your own roof, but are still part of your family circle [00:05:00] because all of these people.

[00:05:02] Deserve care. That's the context that it was written in at that time. And if you think about it today, there's still a lot of truth in this, that at the end of the day, the community that you surround yourself with the family, so to speak is one of the first lines of defense against poverty and against problem.

[00:05:27] Being able to lean on the people around you for. is the first step to actually getting help. The truth is that in today's world, it may or may not be family that is surrounding you, but being able to depend on others is still just as necessary. And I don't think it's really meant to be telling us to focus on taking care of our own family first in a make sure that we're taking [00:06:00] care of our own needs and making ourselves strong.

[00:06:03] But rather whenever those around you are hurting, we should help them. And if those who are hurting are your family, you should help them quicker than others. Rather than pushing them off on somebody else. We need to be the ones that step forward and help them. And I will tell you as a Christian, that can be something that we often struggle with because we talk all the time about taking care of those that we care about.

[00:06:38] Loving those that we love about. That we care for, but here, I think we're actually being called as well to care for that wider community. That's why it's buried in this passage about widows and orphans and older men and younger men. That's why it's in this provision is because [00:07:00] yes, we are to take care of our family.

[00:07:02] This is the minimum that is required. This isn't the maximum, this isn't going above and beyond. This is just the least that you can. If you think about it, Jesus himself provides for his own mother when he's passing away. When he is leaving, he says to his mother, this beloved disciple is now your son, meet your mother.

[00:07:23] He gives someone responsibility for taking care of his family and he gives his family responsibility for taking care of. This is why the family that is going on here is both biological, but it's also communal it's also the family of the Christian Church. It's our brothers and sisters in Christ that we're called to both depend on and be there for at all times.

[00:07:57] And that can be a hard walk, but it's the [00:08:00] one that we're being called to. Thanks for. Listen.

[00:08:03] Thanks so much for listening to the inspired stewardship podcast as a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. If you enjoyed this episode, do me a favor. Go over to facebook.com/inspired steward.

[00:08:29] And like our Facebook page and market that you'd like to get notifications from us so that we can connect with you on Facebook and make sure that we're serving you to the best of our abilities with time and tips there until next time, your. Your talent and your treasures develop your influence and impact the world.