1Tm5

"Anyone who is self-indulgent is dead even while they live." -vs. 6

We are self-indulgent when we continue to get ourselves what we want without considering the needs of others! Self-indulgent would describe most Americans I know. We believe ourselves generous if we give a tithe to the things of God. We consider ourselves bad money managers if we are unable to buy something we want.

Paul describes self-indulgent widows as "dead even when they live". This is a pretty harsh statement. They were not encouraged to be supported by the church, nor were they commended simply because they were widows. If this is true for widows, how much more does it extend to us who are not? Wow.

This is a convicting thought! Are we generous or self indulgent? What did we spend our last outside of the budget $100 on? What about the last $1000? We should evaluate our faith through the lens of our money. Often our true God is most clearly seen by how we spend what He has given to us.