Here The Call

DEVOTION
TITUS
HERE THE CALL
Titus 2:3-5
3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
NIV
There certainly isn’t anything here for me except the teaching part which is pretty self-explanatory. But it does present an awesome responsibility to the teacher, especially if that teacher is a young man. But being not young, I still see it falls on me to teach these older, and I dare not establish an age range for fear of offending, even in my own devotion. But nevertheless if a women falls into the category of older women it would be wise of me to instruct them to be reverent in the way the live. Does that imply some do not? Does it also imply that God thinks older women spend too much time gossiping about the affairs of others and I am to instruct them of the error of that nonsense? That is a difficult task to do without being accusatory. I suppose it is alright for these women to take a glass of wine from time to time, but just not become dependent on that wine for finding some solace or form of relief from their age. Teaching what is good sure makes a better relationship than instructing what is bad. Yet it is clear these older woman have a healthy responsibility on their own hearts. God expects them to train younger woman to love their husbands and children. I think it is interesting the Greek word used here for love is defined as fond of man, or affectionate as a wife. So many times I think woman say a husband is instructed to love his wife, but the wife is not instructed to love her husband, but only submit. Here is evidence to the opposite. A woman is instructed to love her husband. But it does not stop here for the responsibility of these older woman, for they must also train the younger to be self-controlled and pure. They must train them to be busy at home, taking care of the needs of their husband and children. They have to train them to be kind and as well as loving their husbands they need to be subject to them as well. That is a fair better message coming from older women than from any man, much less me. But it does give a clear call to these older women regarding how they should interact with younger women instead of clinging to their own age group only. And it calls for a clear role here to do this training so the word of God is maligned. The best I can do is to bring this message to those women who are older and pray they hear the call.