Challenges for godly women

Titus faced ongoing opposition from ungodly people as well as legalists within his congregations. Paul wrote him with instructions for establishing overseers (elders) in the churches under his care. These leaders must be godly. He also told him how all believers should live, both with each other and with nonbelievers.

This letter to Titus is not a list of rules. Instead, it describes how Christian behavior flows out of believing the Gospel because “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people” and those who believe in Christ are to “live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives” as they await His return (2:11–13). This applies to both men and women as pointed out in this passage:

But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. (Titus 2:1–5)

I’ve read and studied this, taught it to other women too, but must remember that this was written to a pastor. He is supposed to teach it yet we rarely hear these teachings from the pulpit. That does not nullify them. I fit the ‘older women’ category and know what God wants from me. I also realize that I cannot teach these things to younger women if they are not in place in my own life!

Like the commands for men, I am to avoid extremes of behavior, be dignified and moderate, filled with the Holy Spirit and displaying His quality of self-control, have a strong, healthy faith, love others and withstand the hardships of life with endurance.

If that is not challenging enough, verse 3 starts an additional list of responsibilities for older women. I’m to have a worshipful attitude in how I live with no attacks on the reputation of others and no addictions. The passage says wine, yet the principle can means lots of things from too much television to too much gadding about. The women of that day may have spent idle time chatting over wine. These days, we can do the same with coffee or tea. God wants older women to guard against anything that makes us insist, “I must  have my . . . .”

Obviously, I am supposed to teach good things. The first example is training young women how to love their husbands and children. Biblical love goes beyond family affection, but this verse is talking about family affection. This seems an odd need until I read the newspaper. Our world is filled with examples of the opposite, of women without respect for the man they married, of women who abuse their children. However, Jesus always showed affection for his motley crew of twelve. Could it be that godliness is like Jesus and therefore loving our family like He loved His disciples?

The other parts of this list are about giving up self and sin so that women can take care of their home and family without always wanting their own way. It is about getting up in the night to take care of a sick child, or making time to cuddle with their spouse, or cleaning up a mess that someone else made. All these actions come from an attitude, one described throughout the New Testament as being like Jesus:

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus . . . (Philippians 2:1–5)

Paul tells Titus to teach sound doctrine, the kind of teaching that encourages learners to respond to one another with the mind of Christ rather than with the attitudes of the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world says look out for number one. The flesh agrees. The devil has the same idea with lots of variations. The mind of Christ is not at all like that yet it takes instruction and practice to learn how to listen to His thoughts and live them out in our daily lives.

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Lord Jesus, this is a job description yet even more. It simplifies the way Christianity is supposed to work. Those of us who know You and listen to You are supposed to help and encourage others to do the same. May that be my focus today. I am supposed to demo a quilting technique at an event this afternoon, but at the same time, may Your Spirit fill me and help me be a Titus 2 woman as I interact with others.

Today’s thankful list . . .

A long day that turned out well.

Self-discipline to resist buying more stuff that I don’t need.

Being able to sit down and rest when I’m tired.

Simple suppers.

The presence of the Lord all the time.