Getting Old

 Titus 2:2
That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

If God allows us to live beyond 3 scores and 10 years, we no doubt will feel the effects of getting old. The body starts to slow down, our balance is not as sure, and our mind is not as sharp as it once was. We do all we can to maintain our youthfulness, but our bodies are not made to last forever. With aging, comes the inability to do the work effectively that we once were able to do. But growing old does mean we lay down our armor and cease from labor. There is no magic year when we wake up and we become aged men or women. But we come to realize as we work that there are some things we are no longer able to do. As we start to feel the effects of aging, we need to start to refocus on things we can do. Titus admonishes those who are getting older to stay alert, keep the faith, keep loving people, and to be patient with others. Teach the younger generation to stay true to the word by teaching sound doctrine. No doubt, to keep true to the teaching of Jesus. In a culture and time when women were expected to be keepers of the home, they were admonished to focus their attention on the children, show the younger women how to love their children and love their husbands. The principles of God’s word still hold today, regardless of the reshaping of our culture. It is God’s desire that we make choices that will keep the structure of the family in harmony with God’s word. What that will look like should be approached with much prayer and understanding of God’s will to keep that structure in place. The point given to us by Titus is to keep doing what is good and reaching out to others who need help, no matter how old we get. We can always pray for others and show kindness by our words of wisdom. Getting old is part of God’s plan, and that plan is to keep on loving and doing good things.

Not By Our Works

 Titus 3:4,5
But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared,  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.

It is a marvel to think that a holy God would consider dwelling with sinful humanity is beyond my comprehension. Man is inherently influenced toward selfishness. There is a part of man that desires to do good and will manifest this goodness through acts of mercy and human compassion. Humanity has the capacity to love, born from being made in the image of God. Civilization has worked to cultivate this goodness, creating laws and statues to help govern the behavior of people to act civilized. The influence of religious organizations has contributed to this influence by teaching us to be kind to each other. Jesus Himself, in the Sermon on the Mount taught us to love your neighbor as yourself. But being good is not enough, for all have sinned and come short of redemption. Our good works come short of meeting the requirement for atonement for sin. But God, in His tender mercy and love sent His Son to pay the price for our redemption. He died on the cross, the sinless One, the lamb of God who is able to take away the sins of the world paid the debt that was ours. Through His death and resurrection we now can have new life, The Holy Spirit is given to us, purifying our hearts by faith. The world is filled with good people doing their best, and only God knows the heart of man, but salvation does not come by good works that we have done, but by faith in the One who is able to save us to the utmost.

In My Old Age

 Titus 2:2

That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience

How ironic that on my 62nd birthday this scripture was highlighted in verse of the day in Gateway. I often don’t read the scripture of the day, but did today. I don't know if I am considered to be an “aged man”, but I am no longer a young man in my prime. With age comes experience, and with experience hopefully some wisdom. Learning from successes and failures, we learn that it is often best to wait and see how God is moving, staying steadfast in our faith that God is in control. He orders the steps of a good man and keeps him in the way of righteousness. The influence of our life trickles down to our children and grandchildren. The impact we make may never be known in our lifetime, but let it be said of me that my faith was sound, and that I demonstrated love and patience towards others.