Never Too Old To Learn

 

“Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.”

—Titus 2:2

At 69 years of age, I have reluctantly reached the point in my life where I must acknowledge that I am an old man. In fact, a dear friend from college calls those of us who have reached our dotage “geezers.” I rather like that term. It still means “old man.” But, it has a sort of irreverent elegance to it.

On thing about geezers is that they do not like to admit they don’t know something. This is particularly true about anything mechanical or electrical. They may not grasp all the technical details about the latest technology quite with the same sharpness as their grandchildren—or, in my case, grand-nephews and grand-nieces. Nevertheless, they still believe that they have learned quite a lot over the course of their lives.

It is interesting, then, that in teaching Titus—the minister that Paul had sent to the Island of Crete with the specific task of “amending what is defective—the Apostle Paul gives very specific instruction regarding the instructing of old me in Titus 2:2:

Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

That’s quite a list of new things for old men to learn. Even geezers need to continue on a path of ever-increasing maturity in their walk with Jesus. Notice the particular items in this list:

• Temperate—not only in the imbibing of alcoholic beverages, but this word in the Greek applies to all areas of life. It means taking a very balanced, middle-of-the-road position with regard to anything that might spark an overriding passion. It could mean everything from watching sports to voicing political opinions. Since balance is an important part of spiritual formation, it is not at all surprising that Paul would mention this item first.

• Worthy of respect—most geezers want to be treated with respect. But, respect must be earned. So, Paul urges Titus to make certain the older men in his congregation learn how to earn the respect they so very much want others to give them.

• Self-controlled—maintain control over one’s self. This might seem obvious, but I know many people, including myself, who sometimes become so agitated about something that it’s all-to-easy to relinquish control of one’s emotions.

• Sound in faith—making certain these older men have anchored their faith to the solid rock of Jesus Christ. Instead of trusting in their own wisdom, knowledge, and understand, Paul wants to make certain that these men have developed a real faith based on a growing relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.

• Sound in love—Since love is the basis of our relationship with God, Paul wants to make certain that the injunction of the Hebrew Scriptures to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength” becomes true in the lives of these older saints. And, Paul wants to see an outward-working of that love in the way these older men treat all those who cross their pathway.

• Sound in endurance—with age comes greater peril. These older men would increasingly find themselves weaker in body, perhaps even in their minds—so Paul wanted to make certain they were prepared to endure the trials that would surely come in the days ahead. By practicing the kinds of spiritual disciplines that build up and support endurance, Paul knew these men would reach toward always-greater maturity that would enable endurance.

We geezers have a definite need to continue to experience the fullness of God’s grace in our lives. It is good to know that God has arranged for us to have Titus-like ministers in our lives to help us in our quest to be God’s men, even as we move through our sunset years.

 

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