Daily Scripture
“Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone. At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”
Titus 3:1-7
daily Devotion
As we go through life, we constantly see our culture changing. This makes it easy to look around and say, “things just seem to be getting worse and worse.” While I will not disagree, especially when we continue to see the boundaries be pushed to the brink of borderline insanity of what is “right or wrong,” “acceptable or unacceptable,” “ok or not ok,” we must be reminded this is nothing new.
Since the fall occurred in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, sin has continued to become increasingly more prevalent and acceptable as outside culture continues to give it their all in an attempt to persuade and lure us away from God‘s absolute truths. No matter what time period you have lived through, the enemy has and will always continue to push those boundaries as far as we will allow. We know this because we see it, our parents saw it, our grandparents saw it, as everyone will until the day Jesus returns. Be encouraged though because the apostle Paul and other believers saw it in their time too. So as I mentioned earlier, this is nothing new.
In Titus 3:1-7 Paul writes his letter to Titus, overseer of the churches in Crete, as it was his responsibility to lead and guide other believers on how they were to conduct themselves in order to make a positive influence on the government and outside culture of their day. He reminds them to honor the laws of their government and authorities (so long as it does not go against the laws of God). He reminds them they are to be of upstanding character by not speaking evil, not arguing, being gentle, and showing perfect courtesy towards others. I’m sure I’m not the only person who might need to read that last part more than once, as this is something we ALL struggle with as we are ALL imperfect people. Paul reminds us of this starting in verse three as he points out the sinful nature of the believers of Crete, as well as each of us, that before salvation, we were no better than the unbelievers.
Oh but then there’s JESUS!! Paul picks up in verse four and continues through verse seven to remind us that there’s NOTHING we have done to obtain our salvation. It is ALL because of God‘s grace, because of Jesus, and because of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us as believers that we must take a step back, self-evaluate, remember where we came from, remember the gifts so graciously given to us, and remember the promise of eternal life that awaits us and this is why we are to conduct ourselves differently than others!
We have all been in less than desirable situations, and more than likely have said things or acted out in ways that are not very Christ-like or pleasing to God. Thankfully, though he loved us enough to give us grace, mercy, and His word to lead and guide us in every situation, especially when navigating external voices from outside culture or any difficult situation.
So, the challenge to us is the next time we are faced with a difficult, trying, or heated situation………… PAUSE…………., reflect on how God instructs us to respond (which sometimes can be no response at all in the moment), remember the instructions given to Titus by Paul, and then allow God to guide you from there. It will likely have a much higher payoff in the long run for all parties involved. Remember, if we respond in the flesh, we may win the battle, but will never win the war and there is a war going on and it’s for people’s souls. Pause, allow Him to guide you, allow others to see Jesus through your words and actions, and make it a great day today!
Dylan Owens