Living in the Spirit Daily Devotional
Your guide to a daily walk with God.
Thursday, 8 October 2026
Topic: Elders
Text: 1 John 2:13–14
We continue our series on spiritual growth this morning, looking at the different stages of growth. Now it is time to look at the elders.
Just as everyone is born a baby, no one is born an elder, a mature Christian. An elder is someone who was once a babe but has passed through childhood and youth.
John calls them fathers because they have known Him who is from the beginning. This speaks of mature believers whose knowledge of God is rooted in intimacy and experience. The word ginōskō denotes experiential knowledge; an elder must therefore have a proven, genuine walk with God.
Elders should serve as examples and provide oversight among the gathering of the saints. When we look at the requirements for a bishop or overseer in Paul’s epistles to Timothy and Titus, we see that he lists the characteristics of mature believers as qualifications for overseers in the church.
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They must not be self-willed, but self-controlled; not greedy for wine or money; not violent or quick-tempered; and they must be hospitable and able to teach. More importantly, they must not be a new convert, lest they become proud and fall into the condemnation of the devil (1 Timothy 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9).
So, we can conclude that elders are mature believers who, through a consistent walk with God, have attained knowledge, character and doctrinal maturity, and can therefore be trusted with the oversight and leadership of God’s people.
We must also understand that this level of spiritual maturity, like the others, has little to do with physical age or how much time one has spent in church. Rather, it comes from a history of an ongoing, long-standing, genuine walk with God that bears obvious fruit.
Beloved, elders are to be listened to and should serve as examples; their admonition, therefore, is to take heed. Paul, writing to Timothy, warns him to take heed to himself and to his doctrine. Everyone growing into maturity must begin to watch their doctrine and lifestyle closely, conforming daily to the image of Christ.
He charges Timothy to be an example to the believers in word, conduct, love, spirit, faith and purity, and to give attention to reading, exhortation and doctrine, continuing in the right path. By doing this, he would save both himself and those who hear him (1 Timothy 4:12–16).
The same charge Paul gave in Acts 20 was for the elders to take heed to themselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit had made them overseers, and to protect the flock from savage wolves who would come in among them (Acts 20:28–31).
The way to do this is to set an example and establish the standard for sound doctrine and Christian character. If the shepherds are faithful in this, it will be easier to identify the wolves who have come to destroy the flock.
God bless you.
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