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"The silver-haired head is a crown of glory,
If it is found in the way of righteousness."
(Proverbs 16:31)
I resemble this verse in the Bible! Well, at least, the silver-haired head part. My paternal grandmother was gray headed when she was 30, and I started turning gray at about that age as well. Many guys have gray hair at an early age, but not too many women. I wonder why that is. Women have the most beautiful and colorful hair, but us men, well, we tend to have plenty of snow on the mountain, especially in our 50s and up. Well, I think you know the answer. Most women have their hair colored, and what is amazing is they do this every 6 weeks or so, and it only costs about $20 per treatment. Not! Whoever invented hair coloring was a genius and very wealthy, no doubt. My wife Ashley tells me, "Men just carry their gray look better than women."
We have a 91 year-old lady in our church who is a saint. Mary Lou is such a blessing and a source of constant encouragement. Last Sunday, I mentioned that I have the privilege of teaching the class "The Theology of Missions in the Book of Acts" to 50-60 pastors in South Asia. I am very honored to teach these bold men of God from three different countries where persecution of Christians is on the rise. I have completed 17 of 30 lectures, and it is a labor of love. Anyhow, Mary Lou sent me an email, and after she thanked me for preaching the sermon, she told me she will be sending a check to help support the effort of educating these pastoral students. I was so blessed and encouraged by her kindness and generosity.
Getting old is rough; it is not for cowards; it is not for the faint of heart. It seems the older we get, the more we complain, whine, get easily offended, and can just be difficult to be around. Some may argue that, while this is true, it is okay, because when you live to be as old as I am, you have the right to be opinionated and mean. I beg to differ. Show me in the Bible where in the sanctification process for the follower of Jesus we reach a point where we are entitled to be sinful. You will not find that in there! Unfortunately, most do not age well. But then there are exceptions like Mary Lou who choose encouragement over complaining and grace over offense. In about 40 years, if I live to be her age, I really hope I will be as gracious and Spirit-filled as Mary Lou.
Solomon teaches us that the silver-haired head is a crown of glory, but only if it is found in the way of righteousness. Will you ask the Lord to help you age well? You may be a Gen-Xer or Millennial and think that you will never even be tempted to be sour in your old age. Not so fast. In fact, you will face very few temptations in your life as strong as the one to be easily offended and mean in your old age. But God! He gives us the grace to live well, age with grace, and be a positive influence for Christ, no matter how old we are.
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Build a stronger, more confident faith!
Pastor Danny gives you God’s answers to life’s big questions in his 7-message series, Explore God.
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A New Movement
Pastor Danny discusses the new movement sweeping across churches in America: the call to prayer. He talks about how GHBC and many other churches have begun holding regularly prayer nights, bringing their congregations together, both in person and online, to pray for the needs of one another, their churches, our nation, Christians abroad, and more, and what is happening as a result.
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