Daily Devotional for Saturday May 11, 2002

Respect Your Elders - Part IV

(Exodus 20:12)

Most of us growing up heard from our parents or teachers that we are to respect our elders. I was fortunate to have had parents who taught me this at a very early age. Most important though, they explained to me WHY I was to respect my elders. The obvious reason was that they knew more than I did because they had lived longer. But in addition, they showed me that God had commanded us in many places in His Word to show respect for our elders. I learned that older people were to be respected because of the wisdom they possessed from their life experiences and chosen profession. Older people were an incredible resource. As I was growing up, most did respect their elders and treated them with a degree of dignity and honor. On the spiritual side, many had been walking with the Lord for many, many years. There is no substitution for the years and years of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Older people are an incredible spiritual resource.

The point today in relation to this series on honoring our mother and father is that God not only commanded us to honor our mother and father, but respect our elders as well. I have been so blessed in my years of ministry to have a group of Godly men in my life. I am thankful daily for the men who sit on the Board of my ministry. Their love, prayers, support, and wise counsel through the years have been the reason God has been able to use this ministry to reach so many lives. In addition to those on the Board, I have five retired pastors, ranging in age from 62-90, that I speak to from time to time. These are men that God has put in my life, some who knew me even before I rededicated my life to the Lord, that I reach out to from time to time for wise counsel and prayer. In addition, I am going to share a secret with you. When I left prison 11 years ago (for those who have never read my testimony, go to www.liveprayer.com and click on ?Founders Testimony?), I recruited a group of five older women who met several times a week to pray, to pray for me and my ministry, whatever that was going to be. They have faithfully prayed for me all of these years. These are elderly women who have been collectively walking with God for over 200 years. They know how to pray!!! I can honestly say today that they have been the strength and the power behind my life and ministry these last 11 years. You see, God has told us to respect our elders because they not only deserve our respect, but they can play a significant role in our life and relationship with Christ.

I love you and care about you so much. God has given us so many resources to make this time here all He intended it to be. As we follow Him and obey his commands, He uses the greatest resource of all, other people to mold and shape our lives. Anyone reading this today, who is a Christian, came to know Christ from the many, many prayers of people God placed in your life at different points. Many are Christians because of the prayers of mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, and uncles. Many are Christians because of the prayers of those elderly ladies at your church who, may be without your knowledge, were praying for you. As we show respect for our elders, through that respect we realize that they have incredible wisdom and knowledge that they can pass on to us to help us in our life.

The year before my mother passed away (Christmas of 1998), she decided to move into an assisted-living community. Being in the lowest level of care, she had her own apartment. The next level of care was a more traditional nursing home environment. Whenever I was in town to visit her, I used to always spend a few minutes at the nursing home, just spending a few minutes talking with some of the people in the common areas. It was so sad to know many of these dear people, in their later years, were pretty much alone on a day-to-day basis. I found so much warmth, so much wisdom, and incredible wit and humor. What an incredible untapped resource our elders are. You would be surprised if you took time from your busy daily lives to spend a few minutes with the older people in your neighborhood, or at your church, or even at work. God can use those people in very positive ways in your life. They can be a treasure you have ignored.

I will be praying for you today, praying you remember that respecting your elders is not just something your mother told you to do, but God has told you to do as well; praying that you recognize, not only the resource your mother and father can be in your life, but your elders as well. Show them the respect they deserve and know God can use older people in a very special way in your life.