I had the privilege of being able to lead the Devotional/Study Time at our church’s Ladies’ Fellowship last night. I spent the last month preparing, praying and studying for it. With all the growth I have been going through lately I knew that God would put something specific on my heart, and he did. In plenty of time for me to study and write the devotional. He is so good.
You see, in my High School girls’ class I had been teaching a series on Fruit of the Spirit. And at the start of each class I would ask the girls to name a woman who they knew who had the particular fruit we would be discussing that day. They named one person, the same person, each and every week. And while I am very grateful for this person especially because she is our Pastor’s wife and it is such a blessing to have her be such a Godly woman and example for the younger women in the church, I also felt quite convicted. The fact that 12 High school girls, some who have been at this church since they were quite small couldn’t think of ANYbody else to name made me wonder: Is it that none of the other women in the church produce fruit of the Spirit (at all or in an obvious, daily, active way) OR is it that none of these younger women KNOW any of the older women. And I am not talking seniors older I am talking young mom older (not that much older). I can’t help but think that it is probably both.
And so God took me back to a study I did before called Becoming a Titus 2 Woman by Martha Peace. It is a most excellent book for Christian women. It breaks down thoroughly the standard which God tells us to live up to as Christian women. And the truth is… that we are ALL older than someone and we are all younger than someone. So we are being spoken to, directly, in more ways than one in Titus 2:3-5 which says,
“Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips or enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”
I thought I would share some of my devotional with you that I shared last night with the ladies from my church. My prayer is that if there is an area that you are not living out as God calls you to as a Christian woman, that you would take the right steps to do so. God tells us to use the time we have on Earth wisely and His word says that “the time is near” – we have no time to waste – if we are falling short in this area where God has given us clear instructions, then we need to plead with God for help and do the work necessary to walk in obedience to these words.
When studying Titus 2:3-5, It is important to study these passages in depth, because with the full contextual understanding you will know that the directions Paul gives to older women – are really to older women who are doctrinally sound, mature in their faith, and whose behavior matches their beliefs (and as you will see the beliefs include what you will/should be teaching those whom are younger). I think this is important because some people will see the word “older” and look only at age – these verses are referring BOTH to age and to spiritual maturity – both boxes must be checked; they cannot be separated.
We can break this scripture down into 2 parts.
The first part is What is a Titus 2 Woman?
She is a woman who is reverent in her behavior, not a malicious gossip or enslaved to much wine.
1. Reverent in their behavior (KJV says “behavior as becometh holiness”) It can be broken down into the following applicable ways:
a. Reverent or Honors God in Her Dress and Attitude (I Timothy 2:9-10)
b. Reverent in How She Acts (I Peter 3:3-4)
2. Not Malicious Gossips (the Greek word for gossip is me diabolous, which comes from the word for Devil or Satan… how’s that for some conviction about gossiping???)
a. We must have integrity about the information that we listen to
b. We must guard our words carefully (speak truthful, edifying, good report words) and not talk too much (Ephesians 4:25, 29 & Proverbs 10:19)
c. We can give Godly counsel without gossiping or slandering someone else
3. Not enslaved to much wine
a. We must only be enslaved to the Lord Jesus Christ
b. Being enslaved to any other fleshly desire is sinful. This includes wine, which was the specific problem for the women in Crete whom Paul was writing to Titus about, however, the Bible tells us that we can be enslaved to any fleshly desire. We must not be enslaved to anything other than Jesus Christ.
None of us are going to have all of these things/behaviors perfected at all times. We live in a fallen world. But we must be “the kind of woman who is continually working on these qualities in her life and continually asking God for wisdom, conviction, and grace. God has laid within each of us the foundation of godly character that she needs in order to do what the rest of Titus 2:3-5 says which is…
What does a Titus 2 Woman Do?
The older women are to “teach what is good and encourage the young women” to—
1. Love their husbands
2. Love their children
3. Be sensible
4. Be pure
5. Be workers at home
6. Be kind
7. Be subject to their own husbands
I would not honor God by trying to go into any detail about these 7 things, but I HIGHLY recommend getting a copy of “Becoming a Titus 2 Woman” because the author, Martha Peace DOES go into much detail and helps you understand not only what it means but how to apply it as a teacher/encourager/exhorter/admonisher – all roles of a Godly mentor.
Are you a Titus 2 woman? Reverent in your behavior? Not a malicious gossip? Not enslaved to anything other than Jesus Christ?
If not, where do you need to work? Are you enslaved to food? Enslaved to money? Do you struggle with gossip (listening or spreading)? Do you dress in a way that does not honor God or act unbecoming?
The first step toward obedience to Titus 2:3-5 is self-evaluation – Are you a Titus 2 woman and if not, where do you fall short and how can you fix those things?
Do you fulfill the command to teach and encourage the younger women in the specific areas that God lists in Titus 2?
Often, we see mentoring as more of a casual friendship – and although mentoring CAN have that quality, in order for us to be living a Godly life and not compartmentalize our spirituality from the rest of our lives, then mentoring should fulfill it’s Biblical role first and foremost, which means that at the very least it fulfills the qualities listed in Titus 2:3-5.
If you are equipped and can consider yourself a Titus 2 woman, but you do not have a mentor or do not mentor someone younger, than now is the time to begin to pray for an opportunity.
Is there something stopping you from being a mentor? Are you unequipped – do you need to become a Titus 2 woman first? Do you feel nervous or fearful about the discomfort that might come from needing to Biblically correct or exhort? Are you afraid that you won’t have time left over for yourself? Do you not want to be considered “older” yet? Figure out what is stopping you from obedience to the second part of Titus 2:3-5 and ask God for help as you work toward getting past those barriers. With the power of the Holy Spirit you can be equipped and prepared and joyfully willing to fulfill your role as a Titus 2 woman.
MY BRIEF PERSONAL TESTIMONY ABOUT BECOMING A TITUS 2 WOMAN:
I did not have a mentor in High School, or in college for that matter. I wish I had – because the abundant life God had for me (and has for every Christian) is only attainable if we are living rightly, and sometimes it is only a Godly mentor who can teach us, encourage us and correct us in how that can or should be done.
I found a Godly mentor a couple of months after I was married. She is a wonderful Godly woman who has taught me a lot. Mostly, she has equipped me to tap into God’s Word and the Holy Spirit to help me be obedient and honor Him with all aspects of my life. I am not going to lie, at times it is painful and it is uncomfortable. I have been pruned so that I can produce more fruit over and over: it is a cycle that is never complete until Jesus returns or I go Home. My relationship with my mentor brings Ephesians 2:10 to life for me -- my mentor helps me to identify the good works which were “prepared for me beforehand” and encourages me to do them.
Being mentored and being able to Biblically mentor someone has allowed me to “adorn myself… by means of good works…” (I Timothy 2:9-10) and to have an adornment that is not “merely external… but an imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.” (I Peter 3:3-4).
It is my prayer that this post/devotional will encourage and/or convict you to start being obedient to God’s words in Titus 2:3-5. The Bible is not a buffet that we get to pick and choose the dishes we like and leave the others behind – it is ALL for us and we are to be obedient to all of it. The time is now, the time is near, together we can encourage one another to be Titus 2 women!
*Some of the material for my devotional was paraphrased material from “Becoming a Titus 2 Woman” by Martha Peace. I HIGHLY recommend this book!