Thursday, August 9: Titus 1 - What are you living for?.

I have always been fascinated by the ways Paul opens his letters. It seems to me that his self-description often telegraphs issues, problems and concerns he will address in his letter. For example, when he mentions his apostleship and call from God, then the letter is generally strong, correcting some issue in the church.

This morning my eyes lit on Paul’s opening. There is a lot in these verses, more so as I soaked in it for my morning meditation. Verse 1-3: Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness-- a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,

Servant and apostle… I contemplated what it means to be a servant, which is something beyond my world. I do not have nor have I been a servant, someone at the beck and call of another. In Paul’s day it meant being owned, literally, by another. Servant speaks volumes about a person’s relationship to God! I continued to ponder this.

Apostle, one who is sent… ordered to go and do some duty on behalf of another. I thought about people who live on the road, and what it is like to not really have a home. Again, this is outside my realm of experience. Paul was honored to have been chosen by God for these duties. I thought about this.

For what purpose did Paul do these things? For the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness… I unpacked this as I meditated. Paul was a servant and apostle for the elect- for the church. Paul gave his life for people who followed Jesus. This seemed appropriate.

It was the next phrase which required some additional pondering. Paul was a servant and apostle for the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness. Paul served truth, God’s Truth revealed in scripture. And it was not merely abstract facts and figures, it was the kind of truth that impacts behavior… leads to godliness.

I could fill pages on the thoughts that these three verses set off in my mind…

Ultimately God asked me a question, which I leave with you. “What are you living for?”

Think about it.

Lord, You have posed to me one of those BIG questions. And it is easy to ask it and move on before I search my heart for the real answer. I ask You, Lord, for the grace to stick with this question throughout my day. To answer it deeply, for the sake of my life in You. Through Jesus, I pray. Amen.