I have decided to work through Martha Peace's book, for my own personal edification, and to encourage other women in their calling to minister to others. I will post my notes here.
Titus 2:3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behaviour, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
What does it mean to be a Titus 2 woman? What is the role of a Christian woman, especially one over 50?
As I mature, I desire to love the Lord my God with all my heart, and I hope that this love for God will be reflected in all of my relationships – with husband, family, friends, church, other Christians, and those who do not know the Lord. I want my life to reflect my Master.
My role is to bring glory to God, by being winsome, by having a kind and gentle spirit, by loving those I come into contact with, serving them selflessly, teaching those who will listen, pointing the way to Christ.
Sadly, my behaviour has not always matched my heart’s desire. I am frequently angry, and I can be irreverent. My sense of humour can slip into jokes that would not please the Lord. I fail to pray for wisdom and strength, and I react with irritation when my children do not obey. This ought not to be so.
Lord, help me to be what You want me to be. I must abide in You; without You, I can do nothing. Lord Jesus, thank You for all you have done in my life. Thank You for going to that cross, taking my sins upon Yourself, and imputing Your righteousness to me. I do not deserve it. I am grateful.
Holy Spirit, fill me. Forgive me for quenching You as you gently convict me of sin, yet I wickedly choose to ignore you. Fill me, guide me, rebuke me, lead me. Help me to please my Heavenly Father as I live sacrificially for Your glory.
Priorities
Activities – Maintain house; garden, yard. Organize all the rooms. Go through all of our stuff, weeding out and selling what we don’t need. Areas of major concern: my bedroom and the classroom.
Homeschooling the six children still studying here at home. Co-op homeschool once per week with married girls and the grandchildren. I must learn to be prepared well, and not to "wing it". I have a tendency to leave things till the last minute. Planning and preparation are top priorities.
Commitments
Family – My dear husband, children, Married kids, grandchildren, in-laws, extended family.
Carey Outreach Ministries, where I work two days per week.
Grace Trinity Community Church
Patriarch’s Wives
Friends: It is important to me to maintain close relationships with the beautiful women whom God has brought into my life.
Goals
Write blog (certainly more consistently than I have in the past)
Write articles
Write a book – pray about the topic. How can I best help the body of Christ and impact lives for the glory of God?
Exercise; eat healthy foods.
God’s Word on Priorities
Do Not Be Anxious - I know that God will provide every need.
Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?[a] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Put on the New Self - Put off the old. Purposely think about God and His word.
Colossians 3: 1If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self[d] with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
12Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Rules for Christian Households - Glorifying God in the day to day life of a family.
18Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. 20Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.
A Living Sacrifice - Love is a sacrifice: other-centeredness! Live for God!
Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Do Not Love the World - It's all going up in smoke!
1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world-- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
What sort of People ought you to Be? (having lives of holiness and godliness):
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Do Good to Everyone, Especially Christians
Galatians 6:10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Walk Deliberately in Love
Ephesians 5:15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
Lord, thank you for leading me to study “Becoming a Titus 2 Woman”. I pray that You will use this book and Martha’s teaching to impact my life, and as a result, the lives of many other women (and of course, my family). Teach me Your way, O Lord.
Help me to prioritize my activities and commitments in order to glorify You. Help me to present my body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto You – this is my reasonable and spiritual act of service. Lord, help me especially to redeem the time, being determined and purposeful in what I choose to do with the seconds, minutes and hours You have so graciously granted to me. Let me not be a time-waster, but a time-user – and all for Your glory. Help me to teach my children to live CORAM DEO, with their hearts open before You, their God.
In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Weekend A La Carte (November 16)
15 hours ago
