Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.1 Timothy 5:1-2 (ESV)
These verses do more than instructing us what to do. It highlights the kind of relationship that we are to have with our seniors at church. I remember a senior pastor saying that the success of his church today was very much the result of what his predecessors had laid down, while he was merely building on it. It is probably easy for us to see how our earthly parents have made us who we are today. Yet similarly, seniors at church are spiritual parents to us. Without them, we won’t be where we are at. We are part of the family that they have helped build.
Father God, thank You for opening our eyes to see how our seniors have unconditionally laid a strong foundation in the body of Christ for the generations to come. Their love for Jesus and the young humbles us. Bless our hearts, lips and hands to always honour them, making them feel loved, appreciated and respected for they are indeed treasures in this household. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Jacqueline Law Ng
