I know for a fact
that I am speaking to two groups of ladies today - and every day, for
that matter. You each fall into either one category or the other. Want
to know what I am referring to? You are either an aged woman or a young
woman! I'll let you pick the line you want to stand in, but God expects
certain behavior to take place within each age group we will be looking
at today. However, there is one character trait that brings both age
groups together, as mentioned in Titus 2:3 & 4, and it is a quality that
the Bible places much emphasis on in the last days as being important.
Read with me below and see if you can't pick it out.....
"The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness,
not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that
they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to
love their children...."
Did you find it? The character quality that I was speaking of is soberness.
Soberness is something that aged women are expected to have and younger
women need to have. Such a quality is what God uses to bring both groups
of women into one another's lives. One has it, the other needs it. Yes,
God requires it of both age groups! My question to you aged woman is
this: ARE you an example of sobriety? My question to you younger woman
is this: Are you DESIROUS of such character?
Just exactly how is soberness defined? Webster's 1828 says this: freedom
from intoxication; temperance. Gravity; seriousness. Freedom from heat
and passion; calmness and coolness.
Does this sound like a part of your character, dear lady? Does this definition
sound appealing to you or appalling to you?? You know ladies, the times
we live in demand sober living, amen? The Bible even says so in 1 Peter
4:7:
"But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch
unto prayer."
That first part of the above verse sends us a picture of life lived out
with an attitude of expectancy. In other words, EXPECT the return of
the Lord and then live like it! For instance, how would you live if you
knew for certain the Lord would return by this weekend? What activities/behavior
would you cut out of your life and what activities/behavior would you
add if that were true? I guarantee you and I would sober up some, amen?
Rightfully so, for one day we will stand before the Lord and be judged
and rewarded for how we spent our time and conducted ourselves. The areas
where we were lazy in our Christianity would slap us in the face and bring
a serious perspective to our hearts and minds... But why wait till it's
too late? Is your life balanced with sobriety today?
Proverbs 20:23, "Divers weights are an abomination unto the Lord; and
a false balance is not good."
Many Christians today are off balance in their living, amen? Per the
Lord, aged women are exhorted to live a life that becometh holiness.
How can you live in such a way if you are bankrupt of sobriety? They
are not to be false accusers, the Bible says. How can you remain calm,
cool and collected and not falsely accuse someone apart from sobriety
rooted in your character? How will becoming a teacher of good things
occur without first a soberness of mind and a conviction that it is something
the younger women need to learn? You know, it's sad to say, but we older
Christian women are not doing the job that God intended us to do when
it comes to teaching the younger women in the Lord. We are not getting
involved in the lives of others like we should because we are not sober
minded aged women! Instead many older Christian women are still struggling
with issues they should have gained victory over - issues such as staying
at home and raising a family, being in submission to their own husbands
and working their marriages out, dressing modestly and having a daily,
consistent walk with the Lord and fruitful prayer life.
Proverbs 31:10, "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above
rubies."
With sobriety comes vision, a vision for others and the needs in their
lives. What are you older Christian ladies doing with your lives???
Just going on social outings with the Seniors group in your church??
Those that have more time on their hands seem to be wasting it the most...
Have you come to that place of maturity yet where you will turn around
and invest in the life of a younger woman? Why not stop clucking your
tongues at the condition of the younger generation and click your heels
and get busy teaching them some sobermindedness by getting involved in
their lives! Younger women need you not only to show them how to keep
house, but how to also, within their hearts and minds, have the right
spiritual and mental attitudes.
Proverbs 31:20, "She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth
forth her hands to the needy."
I've got to take a moment to share this tidbit with you about my youngest
sister in Florida. Her name is Mandy and she is a stay at home Christian
mom of a 3 year old little boy, and a 1 year old little girl. Mandy and
her husband live in a typical neighborhood of houses closely situated next
door to one another, but she does not have a typical neighbor... While
visiting Mandy, she took me next door to visit her elderly neighbor, Miss
Nellie Abby. I believe Miss Abby is in her 90's. Her husband was a preacher
when he was alive. What a treasure my sister has in such an elderly woman
living nearby! I absolutely fell in love with Miss Abby and her home.
She had her snow white hair pinned up in an old-fashioned bun, wore a
nice, clean, pressed, feminine dress with lace on it, was tiny and petite yet
bursting full of warmth and hospitality. She welcomed me in as if she
had known me all her life and proudly showed me around her little nest.
Her home was clean and cozy, while tastefully but not elaborately decorated
with antiques and various decorations that were special for one reason
or another. Each item had a story behind it which she gladly shared with
us, her face beaming at our ears bent on listening. What a pleasure it
was to visit with her that afternoon and find such a zest for living at
such a ripe old age! Miss Abby had all her wits about her, could walk
fine, talk fine and even see fine with the help of her dainty little wire
rimmed glasses. Even the outside of her home was kept up in appearance
and I envied my sister at having the privilege of living next door to
an almost extinct type of person found in this older woman! Such a deep
well to tap into and draw from - living right next door!
I couldn't help but wonder how many Nellie Abby's are left in this world...
How many older women are such healthy examples to the younger women today?
Many neighborhoods are ghost towns.....nobody is home anymore! They used
to be filled with a mixture of "Nellie Abby's and Mandy's" living right
next door to one another! But now, even Christian women can no longer
be found living soberly nor having a desire to live sober lives. More often
than ever before grandmothers and grandfathers are divorcing - so grandma
can't teach you how to love your husband... Grandma has a full time job -
so chances are she won't encourage you to stay home with your children....
Grandma works-out too! She acts like she's trying to be 30 again by dyeing her
hair, having her nails done and using the latest lingo. She's hung up
with wearing youthful, designer clothes - anything but looking like a
grandma!! I dare you to go to the mall for awhile and sit around and see
if I'm not right as you observe people. Gone almost are the precious
laps that grandchildren used to crawl into for a story or a song shared
leisurely and lovingly in the ears of a child who would sit still long
enough to hear it! I know, you're going to tell me to wake up, this
is a new century, right? Should that matter? Should Christians change
simply because the world and the times change, or should they stay the
same because our God never changes?? Jesus Christ is the same yesterday,
today and forever, amen? We should be too....
Malachi 3:6, "For I am the Lord, I change not..."
The opposite of soberness is frenzy or madness. What a picture of today!
Younger women of this generation are full of frenzy and passion, they
know not temperance, which is precisely why the Bible says they need to
learn how to be sober! Young women need a correct and disciplined outlook
on their position and ministry in the home. They need to learn to STAY
home and love it... Home is not to be looked at as a prison or a pit-stop,
but a place where you can be happy and find total fulfillment. There's
no need for young women to run around all over God's creation looking
for happiness elsewhere! They also need to learn to love their husbands
and be true to them - and by the way, soap opera's are not the place to
get such an education! I hope you Christian women, no matter what your
age, are not wasting your time with such empty frivolity! If you are,
you are most certainly not sober minded! And younger women desperately
need to learn to love their children, not love the day care that will
take them off their hands!
So young woman, are you interested in learning such things? Or did the
points I made cause the hair on the back of your neck to stand up? Do
you have a teachable spirit in regard to becoming sober minded? Or do
you just plan on living day to day, moment to moment, without a plan at
all, doing whatever you FEEL like? The Bible says the end of all things
is at hand - what are you thinking about?? If our thinking is sober minded,
our living will be too. If you aren't thinking properly, you won't be
living properly! Just as I was impressed with Miss Abby, I was also impressed
with my sister Mandy and very encouraged to see her heart leaning in the
direction of sobriety. She has made herself a nice little home and she
loves to be there!! It shows in her and in her children. Her son is
well mannered and lives a routine life provided for him by his mama and
therefore is a secure, sober minded and smart little boy. He is not flip-flopping
all over the furniture needing to be entertained every moment. He is
sober enough even at age 3 to keep himself occupied with healthy play.
Mandy cross stitches beautiful pictures, is learning to can, bakes bread,
is learning to sew and miraculously enough ladies - she is content! Imagine
that! How about you? Has your soberness led you to a place of contentment,
or are you never happy, always full of frenzy and madness? Guess what?
If your mind is confused and frenzied, so will your prayer life be!
The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:7, that joined with our sobriety should be
a watchful and prayerful attitude. Ladies, in order to give yourself
unto prayer, your spirit is going to need to be filled with soberness
as well. How serious IS prayer to you? How often are you praying and
HOW are you praying? Do you find that your prayer life is often times
confused? Perhaps you are missing some sobriety of life! There is no
place in the life of a Christian for lazy, listless praying. The Lord
is at hand! Be therefore sober, and watch and pray - be alert!
In closing, an expectant attitude toward Christ's return involves a serious,
balanced mind and an alert, awake prayer life - both in older women and
younger women alike. Soberness is not somberness either, ladies. Don't
get the two confused and say that I am telling you that you need to become
a boring person. Somber is dull and gloomy. You can have a zest for
living like Miss Abby does, and also be sober at the same time, having a
serious attitude toward life that brings balance to your testimony. I
hope that sobriety is a character quality you will strive to develop within
yourself and then pass along to other women. It's one that should bring
both young and old together - for the glory of God!
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
