FOR WOMEN

#Titus2Series

 

"Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

Titus 2: 3-5

 

Good morning. Today we're focusing on women, young or old. Ministers are to teach older women to be reverent in the way they live. Seriously, we have too many irreverent older women. Some of them are the mothers-in-law tormenting their daughters-in-law, some are the aunties sheltering their nephews that have abandoned their families yet they are quoting scriptures to the women. With all due respect, in many of the marital conflicts, there is an older woman giving bad advice.

 

Older women, the Bible says you shouldn't be slanderers and you shouldn't be addicted to much wine. This means older women have a tendency to become slanderers, if they don't watch it. I was listening to an older woman yesterday and she started making assumption upon assumption and was already slandering the lady she was talking about when I pointed out to her that we don't know for sure that ANY of her assumptions were true. Slander is the end result of passing assumptions as facts. Older women, the fact that you know the cousin of the friend of a neighbour's ex-colleague's ex-fiance that did something similar does not mean that's the case here. Please take time to find out the details of THIS case before coming to conclusions. This is one area where you need to be careful not to let your previous experience mislead you.  

 

I'm wondering why these older women took to wine in the first place? To drown their (marital) sorrows? If you're facing a (marital) challenge and instead of finding lasting solutions, you take to 'wine' (feel free to substitute wine with anything else - work, church, Facebook etc), you'll end up misleading others. Please let God help you and guide you. I'm not saying you shouldn't do any of these things; just don't become ADDICTED to them.

 

Older women, after you've gone through (and come through), THEN you are to urge (teach) younger women. You've received comfort in trying times. Please share that with younger women. I know everyone (I mean E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E) believe they can talk down at young women in the guise of teaching them but it's older women that are given that task. Obviously, younger women need to make themselves available to be taught.

 

It is NOT okay for you, young woman, to disrespect the older woman because you can speak English. Even if you think you know more than she does, remain respectful. I shared about an older woman that was basically slandering another lady in my presence. I courteously pointed out to her that we don't know for sure that what she was saying was true and changed the topic. I haven't started an online campaign, calling her names because of what she said. I believe a lot of younger women need to understand what respect really means. Respect doesn't mean you'll always nod like a lizard to all that you're being told; it just means that even if you have to express a contrary opinion, you pass it across without insulting the other person. I know we may be passionate about some of the issues we're dissenting about. However, we need to be careful about how we communicate our dissent. These older women have things to teach us; they've seen things we haven't seen. #BeGuided.

 

Younger women, please love your husband and children. If you can't love him, please don't marry him. If you can't love them, please don't have children. If he's abusing you, please love him/the children enough to seek GODLY PROFESSIONAL HELP. Love them enough to SPEAK UP and separate, if necessary, while he gets the GODLY PROFESSIONAL HELP required to be whole enough to be reunited with his family. If he is a philanderer, love him/the children to protect yourself and SPEAK UP. If he is immature, love him enough to lovingly pray for him and build him up as much as you can.

 

I'll need to have a 2nd part for women. Please meditate on these things. May God help us all as we make the necessary adjustments.

 

Enjoy your day.