Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance. —Titus 2: 2.
“Worthy of respect”: What a goal for our lives, whether we are a man or a woman!
Don’t you want your life to reflect the character of God because your faith expresses itself in a life that is temperate (reverent), self-controlled, faithful, loving, and steadfast? Paul wants Timothy to urge the older men to genuinely display these character qualities as they live in the presence of and have influence over others in the family of God. Such character is the work of the Spirit in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23) and manifests only as we dedicate ourselves to pursuing Christ-likeness and offering ourselves to the Holy Spirit for God’s transforming work in us (2 Corinthians 3:18). As we grow older, we often worry about securing our financial investments so we can live comfortably in our older years. The apostle Paul’s concern as we age is that we are yielded to Jesus so that God’s transformative work in us makes us more valuable for his service and for those around us!