What is good?

I remember as a young Christian wife and mother that often I was overwhelmed with my emotions and physical limitations. Not only was I a new wife with new responsibilities but I was a new Christian. I knew that because the Lord saved me, it meant that I had new life and my it needed to be different than the world's view of wife/mother/woman. But I was not sure how that was supposed to "Look" like. As David and I started attending our local church, two women in particular: "Miss Sally" and "Miss Pat" began to invest their lives in me and they became the most valuable of friends for the next 12 years! I would run to them for help when I did not know how to cook pot-roast, when our first child was born (and the next three) , when the girls would not sleep, through toddler-hood, how to discipline with love and self-control, lost jobs and so many other events in my life. At the time I did not know they were fulfilling God's mandate of Titus 2: "Older women likewise, are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good and so train the young women to love their husband and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind and submissive to their husband, so that the word of God may not be reviled."
Carolyn Mahaney's book is grounded on that same premise...Godly mentoring and how these virtues honor the gospel.

Last night the "Naples Girls" began Carolyn's book "Feminine Appeal" and we began by asking two questions. (Everyone was asked to jot the answers down in their journals ). The answer is not for now, but to look back at the end of our study. The first questions is "What do you hope to gain from this time of study? and the second is a fill-in the blank: "I long to have___"
We also discussed what is our greatest challenge at this time...Many of us saw our own motives, emotions and perceptions as the greatest challenge. We know that how we think will affect how we act. Carolyn makes note of this:

"Our conduct has a direct influence on how people think about the gospel. The world does not judge us by our theology, the world judges us by our behavior. People don't necessarily want to know what we believe about the bible. They want to see if what we believe makes a difference in our lives. Our actions either bring honor to God or misrepresent the truth...Although our daily actions might not be covered on the news, our lifestyle speaks loudly to those around us. How sobering it is to realize, that our behavior has the potential to discredit the Gospel. BUT how exciting it is to think that we can actually commend the Gospel!"

Though, good theology and sound doctrine is good...if we don't act as if they are principles for living then it is just "head knowledge".

Carolyn asks us to consider two things: In regards to Titus 2:11-14 what do these verses say about the Gospel and what does hearing the Gospel have on our pursuit of those
virtues listed in vv.4-5? And a final thought: Who are the unbelievers watching your life? How do you think you can make the Gospel attractive by modeling these virtues?

Stacey shared about her mother...how she never once heard her complain as she served her Dad joyfully over the years. What a great testimony that was for us to hear.
Thanks!

This week, lets look at those questions and seek ways to to be aware of how we are
representing the Gospel and does that attract or detract others?
Be a Blessing!