A Titus 2 Woman (Part 1)

I grew up in the church but I never knew what true discipleship was until a handful of years ago. The church we were attending at the time really emphasized being in multigenerational discipleship relationships and taught on how important this was. If you aren’t familiar with a discipleship relationship, the best way for me to describe it would be to say you are following or learning from an experienced person as they follow and learn from Christ. In other words “follow me as I follow Christ”. Some may call this mentorship, which isn’t a bad thing, but discipleship is so much more. Discipleship has many aspects to it. There is a time for sharing your life with each other and of course you are spending time together but the difference between mentorship and discipleship is that a HUGE part of it is studying and discussing scripture and praying together. Another part of discipleship that is less appealing to some is that, if needed, correction is given to the disciple.

Why do I bring this up in a post that is about Titus 2, though? The reason is that a few years ago I started meeting with an older woman who, at the time, was in her late 60’s. She has been married for 50 years, has SEVEN boys that she raised AND homeschooled, she loves Jesus and is willing to teach me in the example of Titus 2. I can’t imagine my life without her counsel. She is a pretty darn near perfect example of what a Titus 2 woman looks like and how a Titus 2 woman teaches “what is good.” Let’s look at Titus 2:3-5 and discuss how you, no matter your age, can be a Titus 2 woman as well.

“Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may ]encourage the young 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.

As you can see there are four main characteristics a Titus 2 woman should display.

They should be:

1. reverent in their behavior

2. not malicious gossips

3. not enslaved to much wine

4. teaching what is good.

Today I will be discussing the first 3 points from above.

Reverent in her behavior- To be reverent means to show deep or solemn respect. Some synonyms for “reverent” are worshipful, devoted, humble, and meek. The Greek word for reverent here is “hieroprephes.” This means to be holy in word and deed and having to do with one’s character. This may seem like a tall order. You might say, “But Kassy, I’m not solemn or humble, or meek.” To that I’d say that we ALL have our different personality traits, BUT what has God commanded of you.

For the longest time, I had a picture in my mind of what I should look like as a pastor’s wife. When I was a teenager, we had an amazing pastor at our church and his wife was just precious. I thought for so many years that her sweet personality was the ONLY way I could be a good pastor’s wife. But you see, our personalities are complete opposites. She is mild, quiet, and gentle. I’m kinda loud, a bit sassy, and use humor to connect with people. I’ve realized now that she has her personality and I have mine and that’s perfectly ok. However, it does NOT excuse me from working toward being reverent, devoted, humble, and meek in my word, deed, and character. We should all be learning, growing, and pushing ourselves to be more like Christ and the things that he commands of us. As I grow older, I see Christ shaping me more and more as I submit to his Word and will. You can start this as well, right now, now matter your age. 2 Peter 1:3-8 tells us that he has supplied us with everything pertaining to life and godliness. I believe this includes the personality qualities that He has commanded us to display. Lean on Him friends.

Not malicious gossips- The definition of malicious is “the intent to do harm” it can mean something being done in spite, hostile, bitter, or venomous. To go on with the passage, gossip can be translated as the word “slander!” If you put that together, you shouldn’t be a woman who slanders with the intent to do harm. People gossip because it’s fun to know something that others don’t know and to be the first to share it. It may seem harmless and insignificant but it is the exact opposite. Gossip is harmful to the person it is about, to those hearing it, and to the one speaking it. Gossip does nothing good for anyone. I have been in all three positions of gossip in my life. Unfortunately I’ve been the slanderer, but thank God I’ve had Christians call me out on that and call me to repentance. Is that an easy pill to swallow? Absolutely not! They did it because they love me and you know what, they were right to do it. I confessed, repented, and I’m getting better about spotting situations that might lend to gossip. What I do in those times is either remove myself from the situation or change the subject before it goes down the path of gossip.

Gossip is one of those things that we think is a little harmless “sin”. Friends it is not! As we see in Titus 2 gossip is not a characteristic of a woman of God. We have got to stop this pet sin from brewing in us and spreading it to others. No matter your age, be the example in the group. Stop the conversation, if it leads to gossip, or walk away. Proverbs 10:18 is very clear about what gossip does and what a gossip is…a fool. Ephesians 4:31 tells us that slander MUST be removed from us. A great verse to keep in your mind and heart if you are prone to gossip is James 1:19. It reminds us to be slow to speak. This may be something you have to repeat to yourself over and over and practice daily, but I know God will give you the strength to accomplish it.

Not enslaved to much wine- To be enslaved means to become a slave to or to be controlled by another. Other words associated with the word enslaved are: in control of, steered by, ruled by, or dominated by. The Greek word used here in Titus 2:3 is “douloo” which means to bring into bondage. This section is not going to be a debate about whether drinking is right or wrong, but instead it is about being controlled by something.

We have this thing in our country right now known as the “mommy wine culture.” This is a culture primarily driven by social media that says, “to cope as a mom, I MUST drink wine.” I’ve seen picture after picture of women drinking wine or other alcohol, and lots of it. accompanied by a joke about the stress of being a mother. I will admit having and raising kids can and will be stressful at times, but I find it heartbreaking that we must try to find a way to escape and in turn be in bondage to something that seems to make our lives, as mothers, easier or more pleasant. I believe we have left behind the art and importance of self control. 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that God has given us self-control. This means we should not be controlled by ANYTHING in the world. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to be self-controlled because Satan is like a roaring lion waiting to devour us. We must stay sober minded in all we do to be good witnesses to others and especially to our kids.

Tomorrow, I will be discussing what it looks like to "teach what is good." I hope you'll join me. Remember God is doing ALL things for your good and for His glory.

--Kassy