Titus 2:3-5.  I have pretty much ignored these verses most of my life.  In 2021 if I continue to walk this earth I will be turning 60.  I think it is time I paid attention.  There is no getting around it; I am one of the older women.  Not just in age, but also simply by the number of years I have been a follower of Jesus, which is pretty much most of my life.  I have benefited much from the lives of older women in my life, from grandmothers and aunts who loved the Lord, from women in the church who quietly taught me so much about what it looks like to be a woman of God.  I can name a handful of them who guided me along the way since my teenage years.  God has blessed my life with these women almost everywhere He has led me.  But now, more and more I am realizing I am one of those women who needs to reach out to the younger ones.  I do not feel well equipped.  I am all too aware of my failings as a wife, a mother, a daughter of the King.  And yet here is this little passage:

Perhaps it is not my job to be perfect and have things all together.  That is never going to happen as long as I am here.  I cannot wait until I feel ready.  The time is now.  I know some young women.  I have shyly begun to reach out to a few of them recently and you know what I have found?  They are as delighted as I was as a young woman to have someone investing in them.

To further encourage me to be a Titus 2 woman, as I read on in Titus, Paul has these words which are applicable to every one of us.

Certainly, being reverent in my behavior, teaching what is good, training young women (and myself) to love their husbands, their children, to be self-controlled, pure, etc are all aspects of devoting myself to good works.  And in this last passage is also guidance on how to go about it: with gentleness and courtesy, perfect courtesy.  The New Living Translation puts it this way, “Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers. Instead, they should teach others what is good.  These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God.”

I like the beginning in particular of this translation “to live in a way that honors God”.  That my dear friends is what I want my life to be about.  And here I am given some really clear direction on just what that looks like for me today.
 

May grace, peace, and mercy abound,

As the year is quickly drawing to close I am realigning some priorities.  I have put my writing for this blog on the back burner most of the year, which means as my day progresses I never get around to it.  While I have kept up with my daily reading of God’s Word I have not spent time intentionally meditating on what I am reading.  The first thing I do upon waking is to read my Bible, but then I jump into the day without spending time in prayer with God really listening to what His words have to say to me that day.  I may make mental note, but there is just something that happens when I take time to write out my thoughts.  So, I am adding this time of writing back near the top of my daily to-do list.  This time where I sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to His word, not just read it and move on, but really listen to what He is saying to me today.
 
So, I come to this passage out of my reading this morning where Paul is telling Timothy:
If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed.  Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly.  “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”  This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers.
1 Timothy 4:6-10 (NLT)
As I think about what I have just read here it strikes me that what Paul describes to Timothy as being a worthy or good servant of Christ applies equally to us.  A follower of Jesus is one who is nourished (or trained as the ESV puts it)  by the words of God, by the teachings of Christ.  A follower of Jesus should not engage in arguing over godless ideas-oh and isn’t that a huge temptation these days.  How much of our time is taken up with conversations and arguments over the pandemic?  Would this fit into the next part of this passage about the physical versus the godly?  (Just thinking out loud here) Instead we should be training ourselves to be godly because the benefits are not limited to this life but carry over into eternal life.
As I thought about those verses I came to the conclusion that I had let my priorities get a little out of whack. (Well, maybe a lot out of whack.)  I am doing a reset today.  Seeking first the kingdom before I get lost in email and Facebook and whatever else steals away my attention.  Seeking first the kingdom of God before I sit down with my planner and work out what I need to accomplish for my business, my family, my home, my ministry, and my friends today.  Seeking first the kingdom because God has promised all these things will be added unto me.  I will accomplish what God has given me for this day if I put Him first in my life.  If my goal is to look towards Jesus above all else I will have my priorities in proper order.