MONDAY April 28, 2025
Respect the Elderly
Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father; younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity.
1 Timothy 5:1-2
As Paul the Apostle began to close his first epistle written to Timothy, what is amazing to me is the wisdom he used to instruct Timothy on what was morally right in his behavior toward the elderly and the widows.
In our society, we need to show respect to the elderly. In our churches, a reverence toward the elderly is our duty. We also need to consider those who are so frail that they cannot come to the services anymore. There comes a time when they are incapable of driving anywhere, and can only listen to the services from their homes.
I find that it is the elderly who have been truly a blessing to our church––and a real blessing to me personally. I know they are the prayer warriors who uphold my hands and the hands of all those in the ministry. Honestly, I feel like they are family––my grandfathers and my grandmothers. I can speak with them, and they will give me wise counsel. They have so much experience, because some of them have been walking with the Lord for over 60 years!
I reflect when I used to sit with Grandma Cop, my late wife Sharon's grandmother. She walked with the Lord for 64 years! I used to sit, talk, and pray with her. When you pray with those who have been in the Lord for that long, you can hear such a difference in their prayers. You can feel the power of God's Holy Spirit upon their lives and over your life as they pray for you.
Families need to pray, care for, and watch over their elderly parents and family members. It is sad when they are placed into rest homes and forgotten. Some parents need a lot of medical care––they need assistance of doctors and nurses––but if they are well enough, honor them and make a room for them, so they can enjoy their last years on earth before the Lord takes them home.
Stand up in the presence of the elderly, and show respect for the aged. Fear your God. I am the LORD.
~Leviticus 19:32 NLT~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
