In 1 Timothy 5, we come across a teaching that at face value seems rather harsh. There were widows who genuinely needed assistance, but that qualification alone didn’t automatically make one eligible for church assistance. No, they had to meet certain spiritual and moral criteria. In other words, they must have lived a life worthy of honor.

Well, what does that kind of life look like? Apostle Paul explains it this way in verse 5. “She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day.” In other words, her life is marked by dependence on God, not indulgence in the world.

He continues in verse 9, “Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work.” In other words, she should be well known for good works.

Here’s the point: the life you build today opens up doors for you later in life. Faithfulness is never wasted. It accumulates. And as the Bible says, your goodness will be returned to you. Live with that in mind. Live a life worthy of honor, and you’ll reap the benefit in the end.

Change begins in you!