The Tense Matters Most

“The hoary head [is] a crown of glory, [if] it be found in the way of righteousness.” (Pr 16:31 AV)

As we age, we tend to go back in time and regret all the poor decisions we made.  We reflect on our youthful indiscretions and with a contrite heart and bitterness of soul.  There is much for which to be ashamed.  There have been consequences that have followed us our entire lives.  It matters not how righteous we were, there are always wicked decisions that we wish we could take back.  No matter the perception of others, we know our own track records.  Only the humble will admit their sinfulness.  If the pharisee can only see success, then I pity his or her heart.  Dishonestly is their mask of life.  For the vast majority, though, we will easily admit to God and ourselves that we are far from perfect righteousness in Christ.  Many of us will admit that decisions of the past may haunt us to the grave.  Therefore, when we read the verse above, somehow, we think that when we age, then there will be no glory.  We think that only the highly disciplines and worldly successful people will enjoy glory.  Not so.

Look closely at the tense of the verse.  Note when it is that the gray-headed are found in the way of righteousness.  Solomon does not say for the gray-headed to enjoy glory for a life lived for the LORD it must have always been the case.  Note that the gray-headed presently reside in the way of righteousness.  A louse can live a life of corruption and sin, turn himself around, and live for the glory of God for the remainder of his life and be remembered as a godly person.  How do I know this?  I have had the privilege of conducting many funerals.  It wasn’t the average Christian who lived a predictably righteous life that garnered the biggest celebration.  It wasn’t the outwardly successful believer who had the most tears.  It was usually the believer who made some serious mistakes in his or her life, but when he or she arrived in an older state, he or she turned their lives around and lived completely for the glory of God.  I remember one such funeral.  An elderly man, who had served in the military and lived the way of the world, had passed away.  He was saved while serving his country, but old habits die hard.  He fought the demon of alcohol for a good portion of his adult life.  Then God handed him trouble that even booze couldn’t erase.  This turned his life around.  He made amends.  He fixed what he could.  Then, for the last few decades of his life, he attended church faithfully and did what he could to lend a hand.  After retirement, he was at the church fixing something, doing yard work, or simply serving the LORD with no renumeration and little recognition.  When he passed, many knew of his background, but all celebrated his life.

We may not have been in the way of righteousness our entire saved life.  We may have had to learn so hard lessons along the way.  Maybe there was a stronghold that took the majority of our adult lives to conquer.  Perhaps we made some choices that hurt other people.  We confessed.  We forsook.  Regardless of success or failure, we kept plodding on.  One day at a time.  One battle at a time.  One victory at a time.  Satan attacked much.  Self-righteous people even more.  Yet there we were, standing as best we could, to live for the glory of God.  Were we perfect?  Not by a long shot.  Were we always righteous?  Not nearly as much as we had hoped.  Yet, the LORD says that if we are presently found in the way of righteousness, a glory will follow us.  That is important to remember.  A life presently lived in obedience and faith is not erased because of past sinful choices.  Don’t let the devil discourage you.  Don’t let the self-righteous saints crush your spirit.  Live for Christ today.  Always today.  And when your hair turns as white as snow, it will stand for righteousness.