Thanks to Naomi O. for today’s post.
In Titus 2, older sisters in Christ are advised to “exhibit behavior fitting for those who are holy”, guiding the younger sisters, “teaching what is good”, so “that the word of God may not be evil spoken of” (YLT and NET).
All of us can think of sisters who have impacted our lives by being an example to us of holiness and goodness with their dedication to God and the ecclesia.
There are also those who took us aside and invested the time to more directly “teach what is good”, as did Naomi with Ruth, advising and providing necessary wise counsel (Ruth 3).
How wonderful it is to think that in our everyday lives and interactions we can exalt God’s word and shine out to others. As it says in Titus, it can be in choosing not to talk badly about others but being pure and kind, not enslaved to bad habits but being self-controlled, in loving our husbands and being subject to them, in loving our children and in fulfilling our duties at home.
Did Sarah know what an impact her “little” life would have on her spiritual daughters? Was she rather quite aware of her imperfections, remembering with a pang her wry laughter and fearful lies (Genesis 18)? Yet God knows that she is an example to us all: “like Sarah who obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. You become her children when you do what is good and have no fear in doing so.” (1 Peter 3 NET)
Did Naomi ever realize that her wise advice and instruction in a time of great personal grief and pain to Ruth, a stranger in Israel, would one day develop a family mighty in faith, despite the loss of her own natural children?
What holiness and goodness we can learn from “elder sisters”! Let us cling to them like Ruth did with Naomi, and let us be worthy to be called Sarah’s daughters.
Over the next year we hope to share practical advice each month collected from a variety of sisters in the brotherhood on living the truth day to day.