Read 1 Timothy 5:1-16
Over and over in the Gospels we see Jesus saying something along these lines; that the last will be first and the first shall be last.
In some ways, that truly defines the subversive nature of the gospel.
In the context of 1 Timothy, a widow with no family to care for her would truly be at the mercy of society. She’d be on the outskirts of society, potentially subject to injustice, and probably in a place of poverty. That may not have been true of all widows, but it was certainly a possibility.
So, what does Paul call the church to do?
To put these most vulnerable people into positions of honor. To treat them like mothers. To provide for them. To care for them
Think about that – Paul tells the church that it honors God to take the lowliest of people and to put them in positions of honor.
The ways of God – the application of the Gospel to real life – is so subversive to the ways of this world.
The ways of God calls us to invite people in to the family of God – and not just invite them in – but to give them places of honor.
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