Daily devotional, March 20, 2024 Ageing Gracefully

“Even to your old age I am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save” 
Isaiah 46:4

Mothers will always be the target audience of anti-ageing products and services. Try watching youtube or scrolling through social media, and you will get to see ads tailored to moms such as anti-wrinkle creams, anti-ageing lotions and what have you. I actually started seeing these ads when I turned 30. I wonder what 50-year old moms see?

As followers of Jesus, anti-ageing stuff may not be one of our foremost concerns as we grow older. The Bible calls us instead to prioritize ageing gracefully in wisdom and in maturing in faith. Here is what St. Paul the Apostle said to the Corinthian Church:

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16

The scriptures will point us to several characters in the bible who have aged gracefully and purposely in the Lord. A good example is Caleb, one of the faithful spies who first had to do a reconnaissance mission in the land of Canaan together with Moses’ successor, Joshua.

Having been promised by Moses 40 years ago that he will inherit the land he went to spy on, he boldly yet with all humility claimed God’s promise as Joshua subdivided the Israelites’ inheritance in accordance with the Lord’s command. Even at an advanced age Caleb was ready to take on fierce enemies as he boldly claimed his lot.

"And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old.I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming." 
Joshua 14:10-11

So what do we learn from Caleb’s story that we could apply in our lives? Well, it tells us that even as we age, we do not lose God’s purpose for us. That our lives have been prolonged because we still have a mission. That we should not be satisfied with what we have accomplished, instead, we should continue doing the work that the Lord has called us to do. The psalmist tells us in the 92nd Psalm that:

"The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God.They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him." 
Psalm 92:12-25

As for guidance on how to age gracefully, the Apostle Paul gave these reminders:

“Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves with too much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled” 
Titus 2:2-5

As we add years in our lives, we should always be thankful for the lengthening of our days. Let us use the time given to us to spend time with the Lord in prayer, spread the Gospel and carry out His mission for us, and continue living God honoring lives? How by ceasing pursuits of worldly things and instead enjoying the blessings of the Lord. We can do this by having deep conversations with people we care about, have long meals with those we love most, and giving time and comfort to those who are hurting.

Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Psalm 90 to dig deeper on today’s topic.

Reflection Question: Are you ageing gracefully?

Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of Life. Please bless me with the wisdom to take on more tasks and missions for you as I grow advanced in years. Give me the confidence to bring more people to you and use my days to honor you. Amen.