CGrace is one of the virtues lacking amongst the women folk in the church, and as an elderly woman, God’s intention for you is to cultivate grace. Grace does not come by chance but by deliberate cultivating
Titus 2: 1, 3-5 says “but speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: 3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things.”
The above scriptures show what grace the older women need to cultivate.
- They need to cultivate “sound doctrine”.
Unsound doctrine seems to have penetrated many of our churches, many women in the church are growing with unhealthy messages, we seem to have industrialised the church, the church is more of a place of motivational speaking, a place where we seek prosperity, beautification etc. This is one of the main reasons why older women must cultivate in themselves sound doctrine, many of our younger wives are abandoning their wifely roles because they lacked the input of older women who can turn their hearts to sound doctrine. It encourages me when I come across elderly women and they begin to share with me the various moves of God in the days of their youths and how they have walked with God for decades, such women are women of the word of God even in their old age, such women are usually women of intercession.
Sound doctrine, wholesome teaching is lacking amongst the female folks in most of our churches, and it looks to me that God is challenging the older women that make room within yourself to cultivate sound doctrine and to pass the same to other younger women in the church. This is one grace that you need to cultivate as an older woman. - Another grace to cultivate is “holy behaviour”.
Behaviour is the way in which you act or conduct yourself, especially towards others. This is an integral aspect of older women in the church of today. Your behaviours ought to reflect that of holiness. As you know that some young women in our churches are not behaving holy, sometimes you look around our congregations and you see many young women dressing immodestly, and been arrogant against their husbands. Could God make you the standard of holy behaviour to the younger women as they behold your manner of dressing, your attitude to your husband, and your faithfulness to the Lord in the service of His Kingdom just as Anna the daughter of Phanuel was? As you age, age with holy behaviour, this is a need amongst women in the body of Christ. - Older women need the grace to be true witness
The scripture above told us that older women ought not to be false accusers, and that means they should be true witnesses. One of the challenge that faces older women is that of gossiping and chatting, sometimes you come across older women on the street and they will engage you in so long a chat, they are so lovely, but unfortunately, the enemy knows their vulnerability, he knows how lonely they are, as many of them are living by themselves because their children has left home for school, work, etc. As such they witness many things that happens in the community and many of our family lives are opened to these older women.
Witness is a person who sees an event, someone who has an evident or proof. While Christ was leaving the earth, He left for Himself witnesses, men and women who walked with Him. And this is what I believe God wants to raise amongst the older women, God’s intention is that these older women will be evidence of walking with God to the younger ones. Anna the daughter of Phanuel was a witness in the temple, and her life became a witness to Mary at a time when she was told what it will cost her for her son to save the world. Anna comforted Mary’s heart as a witness. Our Pentecostal, evangelical and orthodox churches needs women who are old in age, but whose life is not accusing the gospel of Christ, but rather witnessing to Christ saving grace.