Monday, February 2, 2009

AT THE WELL...the heart of Titus 2

Gathering At the Well

WELCOME back to AT THE WELL
It is new and revised

Chelsey has been busy revamping the look, the design and the direction of this great ministry. I am excited to see all of the great ministry opportunities that will be available to us as writers and readers.

THIS WEEKS TOPIC:
The Heart of Titus 2

CHELSEY leads us in these discussion questions:

When you read the Scripture found in Titus 2: 2-5,
how do you see this playing out in your own life?

What are your areas of strength? Of weakness?

If you could set some sort of goal in relation to this Scripture, what would it be?

YYYYYYYYYY
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN GIVEN A TASK THAT SEEMED TOO BIG FOR YOU? and then you thought to yourself, if it is up to me, I will NEVER get this job done!

In TITUS 2, Paul describes qualities of the older, godly woman....

TITUS 2:3

~REVERENT IN BEHAVIOUR
acting and speaking Christlike, be a godly example.

~NOT SLANDERERS
a woman who is truthful, does not gossip, does not spread rumors.

~NOT GIVEN TO MUCH WINE
drinking of alcohol will cloud your head, cause you to say and do things uncontrollably and it will ruin your testimony. Whether in private or public...a Titus Woman should refrain from drinking.

~TEACHERS OF GOOD THINGS
answer the call to teach others. Teach God's Word. Teach His principles. And if necessary use words - in other words, a Titus 2 woman will teach by example as well as in words.

TITUS 2:4

~ADMONISH THE YOUNG WOMEN TO LOVE THEIR HUSBANDS AND THEIR CHILDREN
encourage that even when things get tough, and they will, that love is the center of their home. Encourage one another that love is a choice just as God chose to love us, even in despite of our flaws and problems.

TITUS 2:5
~BE DISCREET
having a reserve in your speech and actions. Being modest in how you dress and how you display yourself.

~CHASTE
being morally pure in thought and action. Pure and simple - not ornate or extreme.

~HOMEMAKERS
being a woman who makes her home a safe, loving and welcoming environment. If your home is chaotic, the attitude will be chaotic but if your home is a safe haven ... all who are welcome will feel safe.

~GOOD
good to her family, good to her friends, good to her neighbors. Expressing goodness to all those that she comes into contact with. Goodness can be something that is said, something that is baked, something that is done. No matter what ... a good deed must be expressed through action.

~OBEDIENT TO THEIR OWN HUSBANDS
being a dutiful wife. This is not suggesting that we become robots in our marriage, but certainly putting our mans needs above ours. Always speaking highly of our husbands.

~THAT THE WORD OF GOD MAY NOT BE BLASPHEMED
striving to be a Titus 2 woman will not only honor your family: your husband and your children but it will bring honor to our Heavenly Father. The Word instructs us to love and honor.

THESE ARE THE QUALITIES that Paul has laid out for us. A pretty tall order, isn't it? Chelsey has asked us which quality is our weakness and which is our strength? To answer that question, I would have to come back with another question..."on which day?"

When we read this list set before us, we can easily become discouraged. We know ourselves and our weaknesses all too well. And it just seems impossible to do this job as described in Titus 2 all on our own.

WELL - THAT IS EXACTLY RIGHT!! We cannot do it all on our own. But instead of giving up, we need God to step in and help us each and every day.

The good news about God's desire for us to become a Titus 2 woman is that He doesn't leave it up to us to accomplish this huge job on our own. He is at work in us. He is chipping away at our selfishness, our lies, our hardened hearts and our weaknesses!

Becoming a Titus 2 woman is a work in progress, it is an ongoing project that God is doing in and thru us.

So if I had to answer Chelsey's final question of "What are my goals to become a Titus 2 woman?" - it would be to take one day at a time, strive to be my best each day and ask God to continue to mold me, make me and fine-tune me into the godly, influential, gracious woman that He wants me to be!

PROVERBS 11:16a "A gracious woman retains honor"

To read more on "THE HEART OF TITUS 2"...CLICK HERE to go to the AT THE WELL homepage.

6 comments:

Jennifer said...

Great post today, Laurie! We can do it on our own because it is very overwhelming for me. Only through Him am I able to come close to do what I am called to do and be.

Thanks for a power word today.

((hugs))
Jenn

Unknown said...

Love this line Laurie... "Becoming a Titus 2 woman is a work in progress, it is an ongoing project that God is doing in and thru us."

So true! He always working on our hearts changing and transforming us to be more and more like Him!

Thanks for being a part of this ministry Laurie and thanks for participating today At the Well.

Laurie Ann said...

"The good news about God's desire for us to become a Titus 2 woman is that He doesn't leave it up to us to accomplish this huge job on our own. He is at work in us. He is chipping away at our selfishness, our lies, our hardened hearts and our weaknesses!" This really jumped out at me.

A hearty amen to your whole post, though, dear sister in Christ! Beautifully done.

Beth in NC said...

Hello Laurie! We are definitely works in progress! I'm so glad to have Sisters in Christ for encouragement on this journey.

Bless you!
Beth

Anonymous said...

you wrote: "THESE ARE THE QUALITIES that Paul has laid out for us. A pretty tall order, isn't it? Chelsey has asked us which quality is our weakness and which is our strength? To answer that question, I would have to come back with another question..."on which day?""

i love that thought!! don't we all struggle daily!!

Anonymous said...

Oh thank you Laurie. you must be laughing when you read mine. Lol. I am a mess. Lol. I need God to train me more and add me His grace.