| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Deep Discipleship” Our Bible verse for today: “Wisdom is found with the elderly, and understanding comes with long life.” Job 12:12 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Respect the wisdom of the elderly” I think it’s a tragic aspect of our society in the USA today that the elderly get so little respect. We live in a society that is fascinated with youth and is compulsive about clinging to it. The exchange between the young man and his grandfather that I related in yesterday’s devotional is typical of our society’s attitude toward the elderly: “Grandpa, you’re too old to understand my problems.” The grandson’s attitude was dismissive and perhaps a little disrespectful, not to mention that it missed the mark because the grandfather had a lifetime of experience and hard-earned wisdom to share. The grandfather’s reply was spot-on: “Son, you have never been as old as I am; but I have been as young as you are.” Most other societies around the world do a better job of respecting, admiring, and learning from the elderly. Asian, Hispanic, Muslim, Jewish, and African cultures especially revere and respect old age. The Bible also teaches us to respect and learn from the elderly. Job 12:12 (above) is just one of the many passages that speak of this and model it for us. There is so much we can learn from the elderly if we only would. In truth, we know this. Even in our own culture, which is so fixated on youth, we still create and love figures like Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid movie; or Yoda and OB 1 Kenobi from Star Wars. In the Old Testament we have Father Abraham and Moses. In the New Testament we find in 2 and 3 John the elderly Apostle John referring to himself by the title “The Elder”, which was evidently a term of endearment that the people used for him and by which he was therefore recognized. I am so grateful for the wise older people the Lord has placed in my life over the years who had such a profound impact on my own growth and development. My mother; my pastor and his wife, Oren and Louise Teel; a former pastor and deacon in my first church, Dick DeGrow; church historian Mary Henry; feisty and faithful Mary Rose Kemmer; we even have a sweet lady in our church today who is 104 years old but she is spry and full of life, and she is in Sunday school and worship service every Sunday. What an inspiration! One of the ways in which we grow in deep discipleship is to pay attention to, respect, and learn from the wise elderly people the Lord has placed in our lives. I encourage you to develop a relationship with a wise older person and to spend time with that them on a regular basis. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville |
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