Hello there, welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Today's reading titled A Good Reason, was written by John Blaze.

The two women occupied the aisle seats across from each other.

The flight was two hours, so I couldn't help

but see some of their interactions. It was clear they knew each other, might even be related.

The younger of the two, probably in her 60s, kept reaching in her bag to hand the older, I'd guess

in her 90s, fresh apple slices, then homemade finger

sandwiches, and then a towelette for cleanup, and finally a crisp copy of the New York Times.

Each handoff was done with such tenderness, such dignity. As we stood to exit the plane, I told the younger woman,

I noticed the way you cared for her. It was beautiful. She replied, she's my best friend.

She's my mother. Wouldn't it be great if we could all say something like that? Some parents are like best friends.

Some parents are nothing like that.

The truth is, those relationships are always complicated at best.

While Paul's letter to Timothy doesn't ignore that complexity,

it still calls us to put our religion into practice by taking care of

parents and grandparents, our relatives, our own household. We all too often practice such care

only if family members were or are good to us. In other words, if they deserve it, but Paul offers up a more beautiful

reason to repay them. Take care of them, because this is pleasing to God.

Now, let's give our attention to the Word of God. This is today's Our Daily Bread devotional

scripture reading. It's from 1 Timothy, chapter 5, verses 1 through 8.

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men

as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. Give proper

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