To be discreet, chaste...

Discreet:  Greek word used here is sophron,  so'-frone
meaning safe (sound) in mind, i.e. self-controlled (moderate as to opinion or passion):--discreet, sober, temperate.
Chaste:  Greek word is   hagnos,  hag-nos'
properly, clean, i.e. (figuratively) innocent, modest, perfect:--chaste, clean, pure.

This is the exact opposite of what the world today teaches our young women.  Starting at an alarmingly young age, fashion, TV, and music try to influence our girls to be loud, opinionated, and suggestive in dress and behavior.  No more is the standard of sweet innocence for our feminine youth...it is now a reason for ridicule.  Our responsibilities as older women (whether we be mothers, grandmothers, or just sisters in the church) are even more crucial now to train up godly young women, who in turn will be able to train up the next generation.

1Ti 2:9  In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;  10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. 11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. 15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

1Pe 3:3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; 4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

... to love their children

This should be the easiest section to write, but it is the most difficult!  Although the scriptures are not silent on training your children, this is the only reference I can find on loving your children.  It seems to be a subject that needs no elaboration.  How can we NOT love our children?!  Unfortunately, it isn't always the case.  We've seen horrible examples in the news of women abusing, abandoning or even killing their children.  Hopefully we won't see this among Christian women, but I'm afraid we sometimes see other types of unloving behaviour.

How do we love our children?

“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.You just know that your name is safe in their mouth. Billy – age 4
 “My mommy loves me more than anybody.You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.”Clare – age 6

Obviously children need to feel safe and protected by their mothers.  They need to have their physical needs tended to.   More than these, they need to have their spiritual needs met.  Nothing is more important than our relationship to God, so our chief objective as mothers is to lead our children to Him.  Pr 22:6  Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

De 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

Our children should not only be able to clearly see our love for them, but also our love for God and His Word.  That is the best way to show our love to them...leading them to Christ and giving them the solid foundation that they need in life.

3Jo 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

...to love their husbands

This is the only place that I can find in the whole Bible where it instructs a wife to love her husband. Wives are instructed elsewhere, however, to submit to and reverence their husbands, which we will get into a little later.

Of course,  we are all instructed to love one another.
Mr 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. Mr 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.;
Joh 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

I believe that these go hand in hand, however.  If a woman loves her husband as she should, she will submit to him and reverence him...just as if we love God, we will obey Him.
Joh 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments.;
1Jo 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

I think the best summation for this topic is found  in 1 Cor. 13 (NKJV).  I believe that this is the perfect recipe for a successful marriage!
1Co 13:4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;  5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8  Love never fails.

teachers of good things

This is such a huge subject!  I'm going to stick with the particulars found in the next verse to make it a bit easier.

That they may teach the young women to be sober:  the word "sophronizo" is translated here "teach to be sober".  It means to make to be of sound mind, discipline or correct (fig).  That seems (to me) to suggest that the older women should take on a maternal role with the younger women, training them in the way they should conduct themselves.  This makes me think of this verse:  Php 3:17  Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

The younger women should look to those who are older as an example to follow and as a teacher.  The older women should take on the role that has been given them to be that ensample and teacher.  There have been two notable women in my life that have served in this capacity.  The first was Granny.  Granny was a quiet, modest, hard-working woman who spent her life taking care of others.  My mind pictures of her show her cooking up everyone's favorite dishes in her kitchen, ironing clothes that she "took in" to help out with their financial needs, out working in her garden or mowing their yard (as well as all the other places in the near vicinity that needed it!), sitting at her "desk" or the kitchen table reading her Bible (even when she had to use a magnifying glass to do so), or kneeling beside their bed with Granddaddy at night.  I can't count the number of times that she came to take care of my brother and myself when Momma was sick or in the hospital.  My favorite memories were going to her house on holidays or during the summer...even living with her for a few months when I first moved out "on my own".  Although she was basically a shy person, it didn't keep her from getting on to anyone (in the family) who needed it!  If you sat at her table, you minded your manners!  She also took in a couple of children (when she was in her 60's) to care for and raise...just because she knew they needed someone.  She loved her Lord, her family, and her fellow man and she showed it in every way she could.  She never had much (in material things), never asked for anything, but gave all she had.  Granny has "gone on" now, but she will always live in my heart.

The other woman who I feel like has always been a Titus 2 woman is Vicki Fields.  I was blessed to get to know Vicki while I was still a teenager.  I needed a place to stay during one of the camp meetings in Colorado, and she graciously took in a stranger and made me part of her family.  She was always someone that I could go to for advice or just to talk to when I needed someone to listen.  She has never been shy about sharing her beliefs and instruction, but has always done so with meekness and love.  I'm so thankful that she now plays the same role in my daughter's life. 

I thank God for the presence of both of these wonderful women in my life!  (I wish I had a picture on my computer that I could upload for Granny, but we don't have a scanner.)

not given to much wine

Pr 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

Pr 23:20 Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:  21  For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

 Pr 23:29  Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? 30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. 31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.  32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

Lu 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

1Co 6:9  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

not false accusers...

God's word is full of exhortations on this subject!  Our speech should be true and good...not sowing discord.

Ex 23:1  Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.

Ps 101:4 A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person. 5 Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.
       
Pr 10:18  He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool. 19  In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise. 20  The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.  21 The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.
                           
Pr 12:17  He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit. 18  There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health. 19  The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.   

Pr 13:5  A righteous man hateth lying: but a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame.   

Pr 16:27  An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.  28 A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.

Pr 17:9  He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.
           
Ro 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened......vs. 29  Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:  32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

2Ti 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,  4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

 Col 4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Eph 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness

Put away worldliness:
2Co 7:1  Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;  23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

1Pe 1:14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:  15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

Show love to all:
1Th 3:12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: 13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

Heb 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

Col 3:12  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Give ourselves completely to God:
Ro 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Continue in the faith:
Col 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled  22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

The purpose of this blog

Everyone has heard of the Proverbs 31 woman (and most of us would love to be one!), but I want to turn my attention to another woman.  In Titus 2, Paul instructs Titus to teach Christians of different life situations how they should conduct themselves.  Aged woman are admonished to have certain characteristics as well as to teach younger woman to follow a prescribed pattern.  I want this blog to be about striving to attain those characteristics in my life and encouraging others to do the same.  Perhaps we can even find some helpful hints and tools along the way.

Tit 2:3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;  4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,  5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

Titus 2:3-5

Behaviour as becometh holiness

                                            Not false accusers

          Not given to much wine

                     Teachers of good things

            Sober                                                  Discreet

Titus 2: 3-5

Love their husbands

             Chaste

                                  Keepers at home

               Good

                 Love their children

Obedient to their own husbands

That the Word of God be not blasphemed