Words from the Wise

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Titus 2 (click the link)


REFLECTIONS:
In the book of Titus we get to eavesdrop on Paul’s instructions to his young protégé in the ministry. Chapter 1 tells us that Paul had established a church in Crete, and when he moved on to another town, he entrusted Titus to continue the work of selecting reliable leadership and growing a healthy church family. Paul spoke very plainly to Titus when he said there were two types of people, those who loved and did good (and therefore could be trusted with leadership) and those who followed their own desires and failed to do good. Chapter 2 moves to the motivation to do good: so that the good news of the gospel does not become diluted by neglecting to teach and live a God-honoring life. Essentially, this chapter reminds us that we teach best by example. 

Allow me to reminisce for a moment. When I was in my mid-twenties, we lived in Las Cruces, New Mexico. I loved the adventure of moving away from the familiar (I went to the same school K-12th grade!) and was enjoying raising our growing family while Greg worked as a youth/college pastor in the coolest church in a college town. I had grown up with awareness that younger girls looked up to me, and my role as a staff wife simply broadened the number of “little sisters” with whom I enjoyed spending time. However, in my teen years, I had very few older girls to model myself after so I wasn’t aware that I was missing out on the benefits of having a mentor. 

Enter Delores Mills. Delores was in her mid-60s when I met her and I can’t even remember how we struck up a friendship but some of my best, most pure memories of that time in my life were at Delores’ kitchen table. The first Bible Study I ever immersed myself in was hashed out around that table. She knew enough about my life to speak into it, and sometimes had to say hard things for me to hear, but she was humble and kind and they sounded like love to me. Her house smelled like my grandma’s, and she had a wonderfully funny habit of confusing her words, often with embarrassing results. I’ll never forget the time she was explaining the importance of having good counsel so as not to let your emotions run away with you. What she MEANT to say was that she was “erratic” and her thoughts were all over the place; what she DID say was she was “erotic”… and then continued on, never realizing the slip. It was all I could do to keep from laughing, especially because out of the corner of my eye I could see Delores’ husband, Billy, slung back in a barcalounger with his dentures out, watching bass fishing on TV. 

Delores took the time to instruct me on how to be a godly woman. She taught it by her example and by sharing her mistakes as well as her successes, and I am better for it. See, that’s the same kind of order that Paul is bringing to the Cretan church via Titus: older men, teach the younger men; older women teach the younger women. You older fellas, don’t think you’re off the hook from being an example just because your children are grown; young’uns pay attention, so the gospel is not discredited by your inconsistencies. Mature ladies don’t waste your best years in whine and wine, your little sisters need you; and younger ladies, if it were easy to love husbands well, we wouldn’t have to be instructed on it. Most of all, we’ve each got enough of our own business to mind to spend any time accusing others. 

The next part in Titus 2 I find most interesting because the church was one of the only places in that society where slaves (often a bond-servant… one who owed a debt and was working to pay that debt) could sit side by side with their masters, and some slaves even held positions of church leadership in authority over their masters. Imagine for a minute working for your brother—he’s the boss, he signs the paychecks, but you’ve known him his whole life. Now the roles are reversed… do you lord it over him and speak condescendingly to him? Not if you want to keep a good relationship. Give wise counsel and make sure you have no hidden foolishness that would discredit you later. 

And why do we do what we do? For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to ALL people (verse 11). Bottom line, that’s it.


PRAYER:
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Jesus teach me the breadth and depth of what that means. I have not been a willing student at times, but I want my life to be characterized as one who recognizes the gifts I’ve been given and the debt of love I owe to my Father and therefore to all His children.


WHO AM I?
I’m Leigh Anne Bland and I have an unusual talent for taking bad pictures!