Plan For The Future Series

Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 11:1 – Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. Remember what we learned two weeks ago: More lessons are caught than taught. Being an authentic follower of Christ will be the best reinforcement for any teaching and encouragement.

Concentrate on Character

What areas are we called to teach and train our young adults in? What areas should we encourage them in? Where should we best be examples? It’s in the area of character development.

First, Paul talks about the character development of young women. He says in Titus 2:4-5 that the older women should use their lives and influence to teach the younger women how to love their husbands and children, 5 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.

The first area for character development in young women is to be loving towards their husband and children. Normally when the Bible tells us to love each other, it uses the Greek word agape which means to do the loving thing whether you feel like it or not. But here in Titus 2, when the wife is told to love her husband, the word used for love is phileo. Phileo love has to do with friendship, in delighting in one another. It is not a romantic or sexual love, which certainly has its place in marriage, but it’s a love of a committed wife, who chooses to love her husband not based on his worthiness, but an unqualified love and devotion. Now it is difficult at times for a wife to enjoy her husband. But notice that love is something we can train ourselves to do.

Sometimes it is easy to love your family. When you are first married and your husband is romantic, it's easy. When your children are newborns and they are so cuddly, it's easy to love them. But there are times it is not easy to take delight in your family.

When your husband plays golf for the third straight Saturday and leaves you at home to do the yard work, it’s hard to feel affection and have delight in him. When he is abusive or thoughtless, it's difficult to love him.

Or when your children complain about the meal that you have cooked or gives you lip about being disciplined, it's not easy to love. But those are times as a Christian mother that you are to make the effort to train yourself to love.

The second area of character development for young women has to do with being self-controlled. The New Living Translation says that she is "to live wisely." The King James Version says to "be discreet." The Christian woman is to be known for her ability to control herself. She is not to be known as someone who loses her temper or cannot control her emotions.

You might be thinking, “Wait a minute. I'm not the quiet type. I'm not reserved at all. I'm loud, emotional, and funny, but at least I'm not boring.” We've got to realize that Paul is not discussing our temperament here as much as he is character. It does not matter what our personality is like, we must remain under control.