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Mr. Guido has been writing and
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15 minute radio program, "The Sower," for
over 40 years. Now, for the first time, they are
presented in text form for your enjoyment and
edification.
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The Book of First Timothy :
Message Thirty Five
By Dr. Michael
Guido, D.D.
A little boy
became a Christian, and even though his family was
awfully poor, he had a strong faith in God. One day
an infidel tried to shake his faith in God by saying,
"If there's a God, why doesn't He tell someone
to bring your family food, clothing and coal?"
"Maybe He does tell someone," he replied,
"but they refuse to do it, or else they
forget." So that you and I won't forget, let's
turn to 1st
Timothy 5:3 to 16 and think on these things.
First, there's
the debt. The Bible says, according to Living
Letters, "The church should take loving care of
women whose husbands have died if they don't have
anyone else to help them. But if they have children
or grandchildren, these are the ones who should take
the responsibility, for kindness should begin at
home, supporting needy parents. This is something
that pleases God very much." It's as shameful as
it's sinful for Christians to neglect the poor,
especially if they're your parents or grandparents.
Ignatius said, "Let not widows be neglected.
After the Lord be thou their guardian." How can
you say you have faith, if they're without food? How
can you say you're godly, if to them you're not good?
A Christian himself should starve before he'd allow
his parents to starve! Our friends of the Jewish
faith have an interesting story. A young man married
a selfish woman who resented supporting her
father-in-law. Day and night she nagged her husband
as she begged him to send him to the Poor Farm. One
day the young man said to his father, "I'll have
to take you to the Poor Farm." Weeping, he
replied, "My dear boy, I'm already 76 years old.
Please care for me a few years or months longer. I
don't want to die in the Poor Farm." But the
young man said, "You'll have to come with
me." Taking his father by the arm, they started
down the road. When they came to a certain tree, the
old man stopped, saying, "No! No! I'll not go
any further. I didn't drag my father any further than
this tree!" What a lesson! You reap what you
sow. If you don't care for the old folk, when you
become old, you'll not be cared for either!
Let's meet the
deniers. The Bible says, "If any provide not for
his own, and specially for those of his own house, he
hath denied the faith, and is worse than an
infidel." The word "provide" means
"to take thought of, to care for." It
signifies to anticipate the needs of his own family
and to make provision for them. Now if a man doesn't
make provision for them for time and eternity, he has
denied the faith. You see, faith demands fruits. A
profession demands a practice. Doctrines have duties.
One duty is to care for your loved ones. Faith
doesn't do away with this duty. It develops it. By
declining your duty, you deny your faith, and you're
worse than an unbeliever. "If the Lord
tarries," said Dr. R. S. Beal, "I'll leave
my family sooner or later, but in what condition will
I leave them and what heritage will be theirs as a
result of my concern for their welfare? By the grace
of God, I'll move into a mansion by the riverfront in
His blessed presence. Will they through my
carelessness be compelled to move into a shack on the
river bottoms? Making provision against the future
for one's family is a matter of good judgment, it
seems to me," and of good religion, too. If you
don't, what right have you to say that you're a
Christian?
In closing,
listen to this direction. The Bible says, "learn
first to show piety at home." Yes, they say,
"charity begins at home!" So does the
Christian life. There was a man who had been
demon-possessed for a long time. Homeless and naked,
he lived in a cemetery among the tombs. But he met
the Lord Jesus and was cured and converted. Then he
begged, "Let me go with You." But Jesus
said, "Go back to your family and tell them what
a wonderful thing God has done for you." It was
at home that he was to show the change and to tell
how it happened, and that was first of all. Should
you witness in the house of God? Yes, but first of
all witness in your house. A minister preached a
mighty message on living for the Lord. A visitor
whispered to the woman next to her, "That's
great preaching. I wonder if such a life is
possible." "I know it is," she
answered. "He lives that life, because I happen
to be his wife." Oh, first learn to show piety
and purity at home!
copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic
Association
All Scripture verses are
quoted from the New King James Version.
Click here to go
to the next message in this Sower Scripture Study on
the book of First Timothy.
This series of messages on the
books of the Bible were originally written for
broadcast on Dr. Guido's radio program, "The
Sower." They are collected and reprinted here
for your enjoyment and spiritual edification.
