Pray: "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law."

1. 1

   What do you learn about God (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) from this chapter? His thoughts, ways, or actions toward us, as His creation? How can you respond to God in prayer and praise?

2. 2

   In chapter 2, Paul continues his instructions to Titus to teach sound doctrine as he addresses the older men, older women, younger men, and bondservants. As you read each instruction, keep in mind that Paul is writing to Titus with the culture of Crete in mind: lying, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons (1:12). Also, ask the Lord to help you evaluate your own heart toward these instructions. Is there any area of your life that the Lord wants to help you grow in? Pray for His help. What does he focus on in the instructions for the older men? What does it mean to be sober-minded? It means to be free from anything that intoxicates the mind so that you can honor the Lord in your actions and speech.

3. 3

   What does he focus on in the instructions for the older women and, by inference, the younger women? Note: the meaning of "submissive to own husbands" is the idea of the wife choosing, willingly, to submit to the leadership of her husband. It does not mean husbands should force or coerce their wives to submit. This type of action would go against what Paul says to the older men. Submission gets a bad rap in our culture. Women often see this as beneath them or oppressive. But consider this: according to Titus and Ephesians 5, men are to love their wives in soundness of faith as God calls them to. Also, they are to love their wives as Christ loved the church — sacrificially, putting her interests above his own. When a husband leads this way, submission is not often an issue. God created us, and He knows how to make our relationships work! There is a difference in roles for the husband and wife, but worth and value are exactly the same. When both the husband and wife are living out what God has called their role to do, relationships work!

4. 4

   What does he focus on in the instructions for the younger men? Can we be stereotypical for a moment? Young men are often known for their impulsive behavior. Paul is calling them to something very different here.

5. 5

   What does he focus on for the instructions for the bondservant? The concept of slaves has been around for a very long time and has been a part of most civilizations. The term for slaves in the Bible can mean a slave by involuntary choice or by voluntary choice. The point Paul was making is that as believing slaves, they are called to behave differently than other slaves. While we do not have slavery per se in our culture, we do have employers that we voluntarily place ourselves under. How we relate to them can either be like the world relates (Crete), or we can show the world something different to point them to Christ.

6. 6

   According to verses 11-14, what has appeared and what did it bring? What does it train us for? What are we awaiting? What did Jesus do for us? What are we to be zealous for? Ponder: What motivates you to walk in obedience to our Lord? How does this lead you to pray?