Older People, You're Not Done Yet

“But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. ² Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. ³ Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, ⁴ and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, ⁵ to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. ⁶ Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. ⁷ Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, ⁸ and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.” Titus 2:1-8 ESV

I believe we have been lied to. The American dream has led us astray. Here is the idea: work really hard, climb the ladder of success, arrive at a point of abundance, and…coast. Drink good wine. Play 36 holes a day. Get that house you’ve always dreamed of. Travel.

In other words, quit.

But this isn’t God’s way. I don’t mean to say drinking good wine, playing golf, and traveling are at odds with righteousness. Not at all. What I mean to say is that if this is the aim and substance of your life it is not a success, but a tragedy. If you reach it, you’ll find a false summit. If you don’t, you’ll feel like a failure.

If you are an older person, I want you to hear me: we need you. You aren’t done yet. Maybe you have raised kids, fought in wars, built businesses, and seen a lot, but your most important work is not done yet. 

In Titus 2, Paul urges older men and women to do two vital things: model righteousness and teach godliness. Let’s look at each of these.

Modeling Righteousness

Paul says an older man should be “sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness”. These kinds of men are pillars, aren’t they? These kinds of men anchor us. 

Paul says an older woman should be “reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine”. Reverent, godly women are powerful. They teach and stabilize us.

The younger generation should look up to the older generation. The older generation is to demonstrate what life looks like when you follow Jesus. 

So what this means for you, my dear aged friends, is that you have a responsibility to grow in godliness. We aren’t looking for a perfect demonstration of Christlikeness; we are looking for Christ. Point us to Him. Be a man or a woman on your knees and in your word. We don’t expect you to be perfect and have all the answers. That in fact would prove your foolishness. Rather, we expect you to be utterly dependent upon — and satisfied in — Jesus.

Surely you fall short of this. That’s okay. Your weakness and insufficiency will lead you to the feet of the Good Shepherd. Spiritual growth is not graduating into autonomy from Jesus, but rather growing nearer to Him. And the nearer you grow to Him, the more you’ll model righteousness.

Teaching Godliness

The best way to stunt the growth of a society is to lop off the vital wisdom of the older generation. We have done this in America. We have shipped off our elderly instead of sitting with them over coffee. We have rolled our eyes at our older parents and locked in on the algorithms. We make it hard to hire older men and women and easy to hire younger ones without a shred of maturity. This is upside down.

In Titus 2, Paul says the older men are to teach the younger men and the older women are to teach younger women. This means opening your Bible, opening your home, and opening your mouth. 

Are you actively seeking out younger people to invest in? Are you still investing in your grown children? Are you seeking to help spiritually form your grandchildren in Christ? You are not on the sidelines. Please do not check out on us.

Die With Excellence

You are nearer to death than some of us. I know that’s harsh, but it’s true. Your body probably hurts and doesn’t work like it used to. Your mind may be in decline. But soon you will have an imperishable body. Soon you will see Jesus face to face.

You have two choices as you age: become a curmudgeon or bloom into Christlikeness. 

The first is easy. Complain about your ailments. Complain about the next generation. Grumble. Do nothing, let your flesh guide you, and you’ll be curmudgeonly. That’s default mode. 

But don’t do that. Bloom into Christlikeness. You aren’t a retired racehorse that can no longer run, you’re an oak growing in splendor and strength. Choose to let the 4th quarter of your life be one of spiritual vitality. Pray like you know God hears you. Scour the word every morning like a treasure hunter. Raise your hands and your voice to the songs of praise on Sunday. Lean in, not out.

Finish your race by running through the tape. Only God knows when you’ll take your last breath, when He will welcome you into His kingdom. For now, you have work to do. Model righteousness and teach godliness. And because you are insufficiently righteous and godly on your own, what that means is that your real job is to take the gentle yoke of Jesus upon your shoulders and to follow Him. 

And we will pay attention.