“The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.”
1 Timothy 5:5
You could say to live for pleasure is another way of saying “to gratify the desires of the flesh” The book of Romans say, “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” The mind of the Spirit is above any other perspective or understanding, it’s Gods perspective. It’s an understanding that comes from the teaching of Gods word as revealed by the Holy Spirit and it is received by faith and in accordance to the gospel of peace.
“Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. 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.
1 Timothy 5:3
The Bible says give “proper recognition to those widows who are really in need.” The widows who are really in need are the ones who rely on God as their provider, (that is puts her hope in God…) How do we know who these widows are and what is meant by proper recognition?
Before proper recognition and acknowledgement can be given we must first identify who the widows are that God calls “widows in need/ true widows” The widows according to God, not according to our human understanding.
A widow by definition is someone who has lost her/his spouse by death and has not remarried. The Bible says,
“No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up her children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.”
As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things they ought not to. So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.”
1 Timothy 5:9
The Bible defines the “widow” in these scriptures above according to her good deeds. She is mature, “has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds” If you are well known for your good deeds, there must be witnesses of these deeds and it means sacrifices have been made that has seen them deny their “sensual desires” to show maturity. It also says she has “devoted herself to all kinds of good deeds” not only to her own household and children but also to others. Deeds such as “washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and showing hospitality.” In other words she has shown proven herself worthy of a true servant of God. She knows what it means to wash the feet of the Lord’s people.
“So when Jesus had washed the feet of his disciples, he had taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
John 13:12
The servant of God knows that it is a blessing to serve God, it is a blessing to have Jesus as “your Lord and teacher” and that washing others feet may not be the most glamourous or important job to others, but if it’s important to Jesus its certainly important to us. Serving Jesus is an anointing and a calling to be obedient. It’s understanding that nothing is more important than the relationship between a teacher and his faithful student. So whatever he asks of you, you do for him because that what pleases Him, pleases you too.
“Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:33
The children and widows are always considered the most vulnerable in the kingdom of God, because they rely on others in the kingdom to provide for them. In anchient days they had no land of their own and it was down to the family and the rest of the community to take care of them. As we read in the stories of the Bible, sometimes they were kind and sometimes they were not, but God commanded the Israelites to do this for he loved the children and the widows. It is our duty as a community of God’s people, to know who the children of God and the widows of God are so that “proper recognition and acknowledgement is given”. That proper recognition is according to God and it is also an acknowledgement made to God, for he reveals who these widows and children are and we agree by the Spirit of truth. Even if we don’t “see them” as they are in the world, the Holy Spirit testifies who they are. As Jesus says, “a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you.”
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Romans 8:14
As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
Luke 21:1
Jesus knew everything about that “poor widow”. He saw what she gave, but he knew her heart. He knew her story and he testified of her genuine gift compared to all the others that put in that day. Out of her poverty she gave all she had to live on. She gave because she gave to God, not to please others or for show. You really can’t fool Jesus, he sees what Gods sees. God’s perspective is the true perspective, and the only one that truly matters. If Jesus speaks on your behalf, you are in good standing, despite what others see or say.
“Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Mathew 5:3
No-one can enter the kingdom of God except by the Will of God, not by works or even human desire but only by the Mercy and Grace of God. God carefully chooses all his faithful followers, he shows us His way of doing things so that by his teaching we get to know Jesus, fall in love with his character and can then tell others who he really is. His faithful followers will follow him even when they don’t always understand why, because trust and love for him is stronger than my understanding. They have learned to trust and live by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God not by the gratification of the flesh. By the same Spirit they cry “Abba Father” and “your will be done.”
I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
1 John 2:14
“The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help.” True widows have the Mercy of God and they have inherited God’s compassion. He will always take care of them for he sees their humble hearts. Anyone who makes them feel that what they give is not enough is a mocker and liar. Anyone who tells them that what they give does not matter, doesn’t know God. Anyone who pretends to be a widow underestimates the power of the Holy Spirit of truth, and anyone who no longer wants to be a widow does not have an understanding of God’s perspective yet.
“Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.
The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever.
1 Timothy 5:22
We don’t need to prove ourselves worthy of anyone other than God who knows the condition of all hearts. The Lord’s lessons are there to encourage and improve, never to discourage or condemn us. He will lead us to continue to abide in him, but he also gives us lessons to show us what is wrong (that is righteousness) because disobedience (that is, those frequent illnesses) that we suffer from, will become less the more we learn to lean on him and so mature. The faithful widow does not only prove herself faithful in heart, but her mind is set on serving God in the right way and not in gratifying the flesh, for she is humble and her mind is set on pleasing God first.
“We must become less and he must become more.” As understanding grows, our faith matures. We learn to rely on God more and less on our own understanding. “ In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever.”
I am a widow.