Titus 2

What's this passage all about?

Paul instructs Titus on what to teach the different people in his congregation.

What can I learn from this?

Reverence for God. Not being a gossip who slanders others. Not being addicted to wine - or anything else that will lead to bad behavoiur or a bad attitude. To teach what is good (according to God's criteria, rather than the world's.)

To love my husband. To love my children. To be self-controlled. To be pure in mind and action. To be busy at home, rather than elsewhere. To be kind. To be subject to my husband, which means submitting to his will when he asks me to do something - or not to do something else.

To try to please my husband (the boss of my home.) To avoid talking back or criticising him. To watch how I spend our money, so it isn't wasted and "stolen" from us. To be trustworthy in all I do.

Why? So that no-one will malign the word of God, so that in every way I may make the teaching about God my Savoiur attractive.

How can I apply this to my own life?

Okay, so I'm familiar with Titus 2:3-5, which is pretty well known among Christian women, because it deals with us specifically. But this is the first time that I've reflected upon whether I fulfil the first list, which details those things taught to older women before they are to teach the younger women. I do try very hard to avoid gossip and situations which lead to gossip. I need to think about what things in my life would lead me towards a lack of reverence for God and start avoiding them. I need to watch my addiction to the internet! I must always be careful that whatever I say is true. That where there is Christian liberty, I do not, by my teaching, impose law.