PODCAST
Just Like Family
April 24th, 2016
1 Timothy 5:1-16
Many of us have had the experience of having a difficult time with someone we interact with day to day. We just don’t see eye to eye. We can’t figure out what makes them act toward us the way they do. Then, suddenly something changes–maybe a new insight into their personal life or background sheds some light on their behavior–and we see them with a little more compassion.
In 1 Timothy 5, the apostle Paul advises his younger colleague in ministry to consider others like his own family. We should treat everyone as Christ would; how much more those in our own household? Paul tells Timothy not to rebuke an older man, but to speak to him as he would his own father (v. 1). This is a perspective shift for sure. How would it change our conversations, or confrontations with strangers if we began interacting with them as we would a beloved and respected family member?
Do we see others as rivals? Or, do we see them as family members, brothers and sisters through Christ? This perspective will change the way we treat others and the amount of compassion we have towards them.
Author: Danielle Broadbooks