PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Inter-generational support is important in any church, and it’s a topic that’s been brought up a lot at mine recently.
Our ministerial staff has encouraged our congregation to read a book called, “Growing Young.”
My reading list is pretty significant so I haven’t gotten to it yet, though I hear it’s very good.
I’m planning to get to it sometime this year.
Today, let’s look at Titus 2.
Verses 1-8 have a lot to say on the importance of older-generation counsel for younger people.
The verses say,
“But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.”
While this passage is focused on the guidance of the older generation on the younger, the younger ones certainly have much to teach and contribute too.
And I also think we have to look at the age of spiritual maturity.
You may find yourself in the role of a spiritual mentor to someone who is older than you in age, but younger than you in faith.
And in that circumstance, we have to swing back up to verse 1, “teach what accords with sound doctrine.”
We help support one another (despite age) by following this principle.
Today, as you pray, thank God for the people He’s put in your life and the opportunity to learn from one another.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you learn from others and to also use you to teach others too.
Ask Him to give you wisdom to always be focused on the sound doctrine of Biblical truth.
One Response
Denise, this is a wise observation. Age, and spiritual maturity are not necessarily linked. At the same time, the most spiritually mature person is the most child-like, showing simply trust in the Lord.