Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
Then they can urge the younger women… to be … pure…
Summary: Times have changed and so have our cultural norms. The timeless concepts presented in God’s Word may sound unsophisticated to the modern ear.
Continue reading “Titus 2:5 (b) — Another Word for “Holy””
Then they can urge the younger women… to be self-controlled …
Summary: We visit the topic of self-control again. This time we look at our dual nature: part spiritual, part physical. Understanding this has everything to do with self-control.
Continue reading “Titus 2:5 (a) — Wedding Clothes”
Then they can urge the younger women to love their … children
Summary: Paul wants young women to care for their children as God cares for us. The word used in the NIV is “love,” but in this case, it means “caring like a friend.”
Continue reading “Titus 2:4 (b) — The Source of All Knowledge”
Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands …
Summary: The instruction for women to “love their husbands” can be understood and misunderstood. What Paul means is not about romance, it is about friendship.
Continue reading “Titus 2:4 (a) — Roses & Valentines”
Likewise, teach the older women … to teach what is good.
Summary: Paul introduces a simple but profound concept: teach what is good. As easy as it may sound, the successful teacher needs to master the material first.
Continue reading “Titus 2:3 (d) — Teacher”
Likewise, teach the older women … not to be … addicted to much wine …
Summary: Being nearsighted means we do not always “see” the long term impact of our choices. The word “addicted” has a very technical meaning in our culture. Other translations offer a more general way of looking at this passage.
Continue reading “Titus 2:3 (c) — How Much is Much?”
Likewise, teach the older women … not to be slanderers …
Summary: In Greek, the word “slander” comes from the root word for “devil.” Slander is a tool for hurting others. Envy and jealousy are two of the motives for hurting others.
Continue reading “Titus 2:3 (b) — The Devil’s Trap”
Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live …
Summary: Paul is telling Titus to teach reverence as a way of life. The KJV calls this way of living one that “becometh holiness.” Being holy is something all believers are called to do.
Continue reading “Titus 2:3 (a) — Before God’s Throne”
Teach the older men to be … sound … in endurance.
Summary: The word endurance can refer to something you have done (i.e. – He endured a difficult moment) or it can refer to an ongoing process (i.e. – His endurance kept him going at it day after day). Paul wants us to learn both, but he is talking about the second kind in today’s passage.
Continue reading “Titus 2:2 (h) — Humbled by Gravity”
Teach the older men to be sound … in love …
Summary: Love may be a “many splendored thing,” but it also has many different definitions. In this meditation we look at the kind of love Paul is referring to (agapē) and some examples of what he is not talking about.
Continue reading “Titus 2:2 (g) — A Kind of Love”