Being ‘workers at home’ (Titus 2:5)
Today’s women face great pressure from those in our society holding unbiblical beliefs concerning the woman’s place in the home. There are loud voices calling women away – calling for liberation from both God and the home. There is a disdain of domesticity and contempt for housewives.
In God’s economy, homemaking is a high and noble calling. A wife is to focus her life on the home and the family is to be her sphere of responsibility.
The home is a woman’s special domain where she is able to offer the most encouragement and support to her husband (if she is married.) It is where she teaches and guides and sets a godly example for those around her (children, family and friends.) It is the best place for extending hospitality – to Christian friends, to unbelieving neighbors, and to visiting missionaries or other Christian workers. No matter what your season in life, you can discover ways to make your residence a home, cultivate the domestic arts, and prayerfully consider how to use your home for outreach and care to others.
Discussion questions to think about
1. In what ways have we been influenced by feminist ideology over the past few decades? How does Scripture (specifically Titus 2, 1 Timothy 5:14, and Proverbs 31 convince us to think differently about the home?
2. Where do you find yourself – are you a full-time homemaker, or are you employed outside of the home? Regardless of your situation, what is your attitude toward the home, and are there areas in your attitude that need to change?
3. Consider this quote: “Our homes should be pleasant havens for our husbands and children, sanctuaries where we offer care and hospitality to other Christians, and gateways from which we extend the gospel to family, friends, and neighbors.”
In what ways does your home serve these godly purposes?
In what ways does it not?
4. Proverbs 31:27 says, “She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”
A godly woman/wife works hard and is not lazy. What helpful hints/tips can you share with the group that have helped you to work more diligently and efficiently?
Share some specific steps that you can take toward improving the ways you ‘look well to the ways of your household’ (watching over your household.)
Share some specific steps that you can take toward eliminating the ways you ‘eat the bread of idleness’.
5. The woman/wife/mother often ‘sets the tone’ in the home. The tone God wants her to set is one of joy, optimism, and a delight in the Lord and in her family.
What are some ways you can ‘set the tone’ and create a godly atmosphere in your home?
