READING: Jeremiah 30-31, Titus 2-3
I’m probably not as old as the “older men” Paul was likely considering in today’s reading from Titus, but I’m old enough to know that the text speaks to my life either way. Older men are to be, in Paul’s terms to Titus, “temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance” (Titus 2:2). The words suggest that we must be:
- sober-minded, having good judgment
- respectable, carrying ourselves with dignity
- sensible and self-controlled (important enough that Paul stresses this characteristic for younger women [2:5], younger men [2:6], and all believers [2:12])
- exhibiting commitment to personal faith, love, and endurance in our walk with God
The sense of this text is that the older men are to walk like Paul walked, running the race well to the finish line. Paul could with integrity give this direction to Titus because he (Paul) had been walking this walk.
Here’s a case where the Word again just convicts my heart. It challenges me to ask how I live today, and it requires me to consider the depth of my commitment to follow God the rest of my life. May all of us older men be found faithful to the end.
PRAYER: “Help my generation to keep running the race well, Lord. We need Your help every step of the way.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Jeremiah 32-34, Philemon