Here’s a hard truth:
But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers (1 Timothy 5:8).
Gulp!
Do you find it easy to be Christ-like to strangers at the mall but tough to show Christ’s love to your mom and dad? Do you go on mission trips to share the Gospel, but wince at the thought of sharing Jesus with your siblings? Do you give your whole heart to Jesus in worship on Sunday mornings only to throw a huge tantrum at home after church?
We’ve all been there. There’s something about our families that brings out the best and worst in each of us. I get that. Paul probably got that too when he wrote these words to Timothy, but this verse doesn’t beat around the bush about the importance of taking care of our families, especially while we share the same address.
I can almost hear your response through my computer screen, “but you don’t know my family!” “You’ve never met my parents!” “It’s impossible to care for my siblings!”
Take it up with the apostle Paul.
Did you catch what he wrote about folks who ignore his call to serve their families? He calls them worse than unbelievers. I think he’s serious about this one.
So, I want to challenge you to go out of your way to bless the socks off of your family this week. I don’t mean something little like keeping your room extra clean. Go huge! Think of a grand gesture to show your family “I love you and I want you to see Jesus through me.”
Here are a couple of ideas to get you started:
- Offer to cook dinner for the whole family. Write a note of encouragement for each family member and put it on their plate.
- Ask each family member how you can pray for them then devote an hour a day for the next week to praying specifically for your family.
- Play "Choose Your Own Adventure" with your brother or sister. Tell them that you will do whatever activity they choose for an entire afternoon. That may mean hours of playing Candy Land or watching Disney movies (or cleaning their room!) but they get to pick and you don’t get to complain.
I'll bet you can come up with some even better ideas. Go ahead, show some love!
