Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks
Rules for Living with Others
5 Do not speak angrily to an older man, but talk to him as if he were your father. Treat younger men like brothers. 2 Treat older women like mothers, and younger women like sisters. Always treat them in a pure way.
3 Take care of widows who are all alone. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, the first thing they need to learn is to do their duty to their own family. When they do this, they will be repaying their parents or grandparents. That pleases God. 5 If a widow is all alone and without help, then she puts her hope in God and prays night and day for God’s help. 6 But the widow who uses her life to please herself is really dead while she is still living. 7 Tell the believers there to do these things so that no one can say they are doing wrong. 8 A believer should take care of his own relatives, especially his own family. If he does not do that, he has turned against the faith. He is worse than a person who does not believe in God.
9 To be on your list of widows, a woman must be 60 years old or older. She must have been faithful to her husband. 10 She must be known as a woman who has done good works. By this, I mean good works such as raising her children, accepting visitors in her home, washing the feet of God’s people, helping those in trouble, and using her life to do all kinds of good deeds.
11 But do not put younger widows on that list. After they give themselves to Christ, they are often pulled away from him by their physical desires. And then they want to marry again. 12 And they will be judged for not doing what they first promised to do. 13 Also, those younger widows begin to waste their time going from house to house. They begin to gossip and busy themselves with other people’s lives. They say things that they should not say. 14 So I want the younger widows to marry, have children, and take care of their homes. If they do this, then no enemy will have any reason to criticize them. 15 But some of the younger widows have already turned away to follow Satan.
16 If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, then she should care for them herself. The church should not have to care for them. Then the church will be able to care for the widows who have no living family.
17 The elders who lead the church well should receive great honor. Those who work hard by speaking and teaching especially should receive great honor. 18 For the Scripture says, “When an ox is working in the grain, do not cover its mouth to keep it from eating.”[a] And the Scripture also says, “A worker should be given his pay.”[b]
19 Do not listen to someone who accuses an elder, unless there are two or three other persons who say he did wrong. 20 Tell those who keep on sinning that they are wrong. Do this in front of the whole church so that the others will have a warning.
21 Before God and Jesus Christ and the chosen angels, I command you to do these things. Be careful to do them without showing favor to anyone.
22 Think carefully before you lay your hands on[c] anyone for the Lord’s service. Do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
23 Timothy, you stop drinking only water and drink a little wine. This will help your stomach, and you will not be sick so often.
24 The sins of some people are easy to see even before they are judged. But the sins of others are seen only later. 25 So also good deeds are easy to see. But even when they are not easy to see, they cannot stay hidden.
6 All who are slaves should show full respect to their masters. Then no one will speak against God’s name and our teaching. 2 Some slaves have masters who are believers. This means they are all brothers. But the slaves should not show their masters any less respect. They should serve their masters even better, because they are helping believers they love.
False Teaching and True Riches
You must teach and preach these things. 3 If anyone has a different teaching, he does not accept the true teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. And that teaching shows him the true way to serve God. 4 The person who teaches falsely is full of pride and understands nothing. He is sick with a love for arguing and fighting about words. And that brings jealousy, making trouble, insults, and evil mistrust. 5 And that also brings arguments from men who have evil minds. They have lost the truth. They think that serving God is a way to get rich.
6 It is true that serving God makes a person very rich, if he is satisfied with what he has. 7 When we came into the world, we brought nothing. And when we die, we can take nothing out. 8 So, if we have food and clothes, we will be satisfied with that. 9 Those who want to become rich bring temptation to themselves. They are caught in a trap. They begin to want many foolish things that will hurt them, things that ruin and destroy people. 10 The love of money causes all kinds of evil. Some people have left the true faith because they want to get more and more money. But they have caused themselves much sorrow.
Some Things to Remember
11 But you are a man of God. So you should stay away from all those things. Try to live in the right way, serve God, have faith, love, patience, and gentleness. 12 Keeping your faith is like running a race. Try as hard as you can to win. Be sure you receive the life that continues forever. You were called to have that life. And you confessed the great truth about Christ in a way that many people heard. 13 Before God and Christ Jesus I give you a command. Christ Jesus confessed that same great truth when he stood before Pontius Pilate. And God gives life to everything. Now I tell you: 14 Do the things you were commanded to do. Do them without wrong or blame until the time when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 15 God will make that happen at the right time. He is the blessed and only Ruler. He is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords. 16 God is the only One who never dies. He lives in light so bright that men cannot go near it. No one has ever seen God, or can see him. May honor and power belong to God forever. Amen.
17 Give this command to those who are rich with things of this world. Tell them not to be proud. Tell them to hope in God, not their money. Money cannot be trusted, but God takes care of us richly. He gives us everything to enjoy. 18 Tell the rich people to do good and to be rich in doing good deeds. Tell them to be happy to give and ready to share. 19 By doing that, they will be saving a treasure for themselves in heaven. That treasure will be a strong foundation. Their future life can be built on that treasure. Then they will be able to have the life that is true life.
20 Timothy, God has trusted you with many things. Keep those things safe. Stay away from people who say foolish things that are not from God. Stay away from those who argue against the truth. They use something they call “knowledge,” but it is really not knowledge. 21 They say that they have that “knowledge,” but they have left the true faith.
God’s grace be with you.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.