The Young Woman: Lessons for a Teacher (Titus 2:4b-5)This is a continuation of our series on Titus 2. Find Part 1 here.Paul does not profile the “young women” as he did the older, but rather describes seven lessons the young moms need to hear and learn from the older mothers. These lessons are obviously about qualities that the older women have already acquired, which is why they are qualified to teach them. So these are qualities for every woman, and every mother. Paul says that the purpose of learning these qualities is about much more than just becoming a better woman, wife, and mother; it is “so that the word of God will not be dishonored.” Teaching and embodying these qualities helps preserve the integrity and honor of the Scriptures that you are teaching.Answer the questions below about how you personally can grow in each quality as a godly woman, and help those in your Mom Heart group to grow in each quality as godly young women.
• “Love their husbands” (literally, husband-lovers) – How am I, every day, choosing to love and prefer my God-provided husband? How can I encourage younger moms to practice loving and enjoying their husbands.• “Love their children” (literally, child-lovers) – How am I, every day, choosing to love and prefer my God-given children? How can I encourage younger moms to develop loving attitudes and words of grace for their children?• “Sensible” – How am I becoming sound-minded and self-controlled, curbing my desires and impulses in order to live sensibly? How can I encourage younger moms to think sensibly and biblically about their choices in life?• “Pure” – How am I choosing reverent and sacred thoughts and desires over worldly and impure ones so I will have a testimony of purity? How can I encourage younger moms to maintain purity in their thoughts and choices?• “Workers at home” (literally, home-guards) – How am I guarding and keeping watch over my home domain and all who live within it? How can I encourage younger moms to value and cultivate the home domain God has entrusted to them?
• “Kind” – How am I exercising God’s kindness toward my family members, and toward others, so I will have a testimony of goodness? How can I encourage younger moms to let kindness, a fruit of the Spirit, guard their thoughts and words?• “Subject to their own husbands” – How am I honoring and respecting my husband in our marriage, family, and lives together? How can I encourage younger moms to cultivate biblical attitudes and desires toward their husbands? What is one trait that you can concentrate on this month in your life? How can you encourage your Mom Heart members to apply these traits in their lives as well?Excerpt from Taking Motherhood to Heart.