Titus must ask the older women to help the younger members of the congregation how to be wise, but also virtuous (verse 5). Virtuous is an unfamiliar rather old-fashioned word, but I suspect The Message translation got it right: ⁵By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure …

I must confess I’m very glad I’m not a teenager or young adult right now, because they’re really being tempted by pornography all over the place. You can see what you simply wish by typing a few letters and clicking anywhere on any screen. In your face. When I was young you had to go look for a Scope in a backstreet café and even then, everything was covered by stars.

Maybe we’re not taking a strong enough stand against this. The impact of pornography is unbelievably destructive. It really messes up your head. It makes you dirty. It completely thrashes this beautiful gift God gave mankind. I wonder if this might be the biggest reason why marriages don’t make it?

The world presents this plastic image of intimacy and now the other party must meet this impossible standard. And if he or she doesn’t succeed, we trade them in for a younger model.

We must take a stand here. We will have to help our children and young people to stand strong. They are under so much pressure and often the example set by the people they look up to is one big mess. There seems to be no rules and everybody does what he or she wants.

The other day I was talking to a young man who wanted to know if he could move in with his girlfriend: “We’re getting married and do you know how expensive it is to rent? There is a room open in her flat and in mine too. It doesn’t make sense.”

I said to him I suspect the question was not whether they could move in together, because there’s no problem with that. The question he really wanted to ask was whether they could sleep together, because they were getting married, weren’t they? They would be living together as husband and wife, why not go all the way?

The problem is that it has become so easy to simply leave. A ring is not even good and strong enough to keep husband and wife together. Even less a lifelong promise.

I asked him if he wanted to marry a virgin. “Yes, sir,” he said shyly. So, add it up. I rest my case.

Obviously, this is not only for single people. Married people should also be virtuous. We must make sure that we don’t cross the boundaries of our marriages. The intimacies of our own so easily become a little stale and as soon as someone in the office or among friends gives you more attention, your focus shifts.

You feel good again. You feel young again. You feel butterflies in your tummy again. Your mind plays tricks on you and though it might sound ridiculous, you make yourself believe it’s right. You deserve it.

And the consequences are loads of pain and no winners.

If you’ve cheated, looked at things you shouldn’t have, thought thoughts you shouldn’t have, ask God for forgiveness. He has heaps of grace and forgiveness.

Let’s make sure that we don’t get stuck and caught up in the pictures behind our screens. Let’s remain pure. Let’s remain clean.

Scripture
Titus 2:1-5

Reflection
Have you done wrong here?
Do you accept God’s forgiveness?
What must you do differently?

Prayer
Father, it is your will that we must live a holy life. Our bodies are your temple. Forgive us our trespasses and help us know your will for us so that we can live according to your will. Amen.