PARENTING & FAMILY
How can I know what's best for my elderly parents?

(1 Timothy 5:1-7)
Take care of them.
In Paul's era, the church was a Christian's social service agency. If you had needs, the church would help. You certainly couldn't count on the Roman government, which was likely to use you for lion bait. In 1 Timothy, Paul also pointed to the family as a resource to meet those needs. It was the responsibility of children and grandchildren to care for aging family members. Paul used strong words: "People who don't take care of their relatives, and especially their own families, have given up their faith. They are worse than someone who doesn't have faith in the Lord" (5:8). Paul didn't suggest we give time to serve our parents instead of serving God. He said that caring for our parents is serving God.

Of course we hope that our parents make financial arrangements for their own support during old age. And we draw on available government and community services. We encourage our parents to be as independent as they can for as long as they can. But in the end, caring for parents is a family responsibility.

What do our parents need? Us. (See also Psalm 25; Proverbs 23:22-25; Joel 2:28-32; 1 Corinthians 15:35-58.)

Words to remember:
If a widow has children or grandchildren, they should learn to serve God by taking care of her, as she once took care of them. This is what God wants them to do.—1 Timothy 5:4

1 Timothy 5:1-7
How to Act toward Others
5 Don't correct an older man. Encourage him, as you would your own father. Treat younger men as you would your own brother, ²and treat older women as you would your own mother. Show the same respect to younger women that you would to your sister.

³Take care of any widow who is really in need. ⁴But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should learn to serve God by taking care of her, as she once took care of them. This is what God wants them to do. ⁵A widow who is really in need is one who doesn't have any relatives. She has faith in God, and she keeps praying to him night and day, asking for his help.

⁶A widow who thinks only about having a good time is already dead, even though she is still alive.

⁷Tell all of this to everyone, so they will do the right thing.

These excerpts are from The Bible for Today's Christian Woman. This Bible is no longer in print. But new this month is the Woman's Life Bible, which includes the same great features for today's busy woman. Click here to purchase the Woman's Life Bible.

Copyright © 1998 by the author or Christianity Today, Inc. All rights reserved. Excerpted from The Bible for Today's Christian Woman, CEV, page 1395. Used by permission. For reprint information call 630-260-6200.