“Let a widow be enrolled if she… [has] a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work.” – 1 Timothy 5:9-10
Paul speaks about widows who are to be recognized, honored, and supported (5:3). But he also speaks about widows who are to be enrolled or registered on a list (5:9). The qualifications for being on this list are different from the qualifications mentioned earlier:
- Age: over sixty (5:9)
- Fidelity: “the wife of one husband” (5:9)
- Ministry: “a reputation for good works” (5:10)
It seems that this list is not a register of people receiving support but of people offering service. Here were a group of older people who offered dedicated service to the Lord through the church.
If you have brought up children, opened your home, helped folks in trouble, and devoted yourself to good deeds, your experience is a gift you can give in ministry to others in your golden years.
As one elderly saint put it, “Who said that the dream is to make enough money so that you can go off somewhere with no responsibilities and spend your golden years on yourself? That’s not my dream.”
Now here is a fresh new definition of retirement: getting a new set of tires to keep rolling in the service of Christ! If you are over sixty, here’s a word of encouragement: Get a new vision of your golden years as the most useful years you can offer to Christ.
What do you hope to do with your last years before you see your Lord?
