Self-indulgence - 1Timothy 5:6

 

1 Timothy 5:6 (ESV)

but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives.

 

This short verse is written in the context of widows who are on the registry to be provided for by the church. They are to be devoted to prayer night and day. By contrast, they are not to be “self-indulgent.” Given the seriousness of this, “she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives.” It seems that this verse speaks to a broader application. Self-indulgence is not a part of the Christian life, yet how many of us live self-indulgent lives? We indulge on Sunday morning music or complain when it does not suit us. We indulge on Facebook, television, TikTok, etc. and can’t find time to reflect on the Word. Pastors fail, church members complain, and people lash out because we are a self-indulgent people who care more about ourselves than about God and others. “She who is self-indulgent is dead.” That is a convicting statement that makes me wonder how dead are we who claim to live.

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