Love and Honor the Elderly

Verse of the day: Leviticus 19:32 “You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the LORD.”

Growing old…we are all going to get there, if the Lord does not come back soon or He allows us to live a long life. The longer we live, the more difficult life becomes, as old age brings many challenges we do not face in our youth, for the most part. However, it is not just the physical challenges that we face as elders, but also how society now views older folks. Far too much of society sees the elderly as a burden, and the younger generation, for the most part, does not have the same respect for their elders. There was a time when we, as children, and young adults, would not dare be disrespectful, in our words, or attitude, toward our elders. It did not matter if it was a relative, a neighbor, a friend of the family, or just an older stranger we encountered; it did not matter if we thought they were right in their opinion or if we did not agree with their view of life, we always showed respect. Although this world may be drastically changing, and the attitude towards our elders may be changing, let us not forget, that we, as born again believers, are not of this world. Therefore, we do not have to follow the patterns or standard of this world. On the contrary, even in this, we should stand apart in the way we treat our elders. In many cultures around the world, the elders are still treated with much respect. Sadly, we miss out on great wisdom, in many of our circles, because we have abandoned our elders, even within the church. Some of the most interesting conversations I have had are those I have had with older men and women, who shared their life stories, and shared some of the lessons they have learned in life; especially those that have been walking with the Lord for many years. The Bible says of these dear saints, in Proverbs 16:31, “The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, if it is found in the way of righteousness.” Many of us are still far from learning some of life’s most important lessons. Some of our older saints have lived those lessons. Job 12:12 tells us, “Wisdom is with aged men, And with length of days, understanding.” One of the greatest lessons we will learn, as we grow older, is that we will need to lean on the Lord more and more, as our strength diminishes, and for some of us, as our health begins to wither away. There are many of our dear older saints, who have wonderful testimonies of how God has met their needs. He has given them strength to live from day to day, when they had no strength to take one more step, or deal with life for one more minute. Their prayer, and desire, as ours will be some day, is that God not forsake them, and that they would have the opportunity to declare God’s power to the next generation (Psalm 71:18). 1 Timothy 5 encourages us to exhort the elder men as fathers, the younger men as brothers, the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters. The widows should be the responsibility of the church, and if they have family members who are alive, it becomes their responsibility to take care of them. To honor our father and mother, as we become adults, and they become older, means to take care of them when they no longer can for themselves. 1 Timothy 5:8 clearly tells us, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” It is very sad to see many older men and women being abandoned, and even discarded, because they are a financial and emotional burden on their families. It is even sadder when we see this take place within the Christian community. One of my favorite things to do in ministry has always been to visit our elderly members who are unable to come out to worship with the church family. The appreciation they expressed in having someone come and check on them, sit with them, talk with them, pray with them, and read God’s Word with them. It always amazed me that these dear saints were always more concerned with praying for me, and my needs, than having me pray for them and their needs. We can learn much from our dear, usually forgotten, older saints, who are also God’s children. Let us take the time to honor them and appreciate them. Let us glean the nuggets of wisdom they have gathered from years of knowing and serving the Lord, before He takes them home to be with Him in glory.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).