Eight practical game rules......

Todays is called...."Eight Practical Game Rules"....
Have you ever studied the word "blasphame"?
When I was small, it struck terror in my heart. We were new christians and somewhere along the way, the preachers were able to stuff into my little brain the verse on blaspheming the Holy Ghost., "But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation"(Mark 3:29).
Today, now at a much riper age, the word "blaspheme" still causes me to shudder---as it should. To some degree, blasphemy is to put oneself above God, either by what you say or what you do. When the Pharisees heard Jesus speak, and because they wanted a reason to kill him, they accursed him of blaspheming,"making himself equal with God"(John 5:18).
This is a womans study about wives and mothers, so you must be wondering what blasphemy has to do with the subject. A lot! I tried to recall the list of 8 things that aged women were told to teach the younger women.
"That the aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be [1]sober, [2]to love their husbands, [3]to love their children, [4]to be discreet, [5]chaste, [6]keepers at home, [7]good, [8]obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed(Titus 2:3-5).
The word blasphemed jumped out at me,"...that the word of God be not blasphemed." Aged women (that's me) are commanded to teach the young women so they will not blaspheme the word of God!!! As young mothers in danger of blasphemy? The passage says they are.....blasphemeing the Word Of God. Even though it is not the unpardonable sin, it sure is a scary thing for Paul to say that about young wives.
The word blaspheme in this passage had always seemed to be an overstatement---an emphatic exxageration. How can a woman be causing the Word of God to be blasphemed is she is not discreet? Does a women really cause the Word of God to be blasphemed if she doesn't obey her husband? What if he is wrong? What if she dresses a little sexy and is not as chaste as she should be? Should that be judged as blaspheming? What does it mean to be keepers at home? Why are these eight things so critical to young wives that refusal to do them would be termed blasphemy?
God is faithful, as I pondered these thoughts, He gave me a glimpse of how to answer these questions, His answer broke my heart. I could never have dreamed the horror that would teach me just why the word blaspheme is the right word. But first, we will examine the 8 characteristics, one by one, that God commands aged women to teach young women.

Until next week,..........

Love to all who read....
~~~*Terri*~~~