Saturday, December 14: Titus 3-.

The practical declarations of verses 1, 2 & 14 connected in my thoughts as I read and began contemplating this chapter.

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 to show true humility toward all men.… Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.

If your hope is for Scripture to give you a practical word on how to live faithfully as a follower of Jesus, today’s Word is perfect.

·         Be obedient to rules and authorities,

·         Do what is good (mentioned 2 times),

·         Do not speak falsely about anyone,

·         Be a peaceable and considerate person toward everyone…

·         Be busy providing for yourself

I took some liberties above in contemporizing these declarations but I believe my wording is fair to the text.

Well, I certainly have my living ‘to do’ list for today.

Lord, thank You for the practicality of Your Word and instruction. Now comes the rub….living it. I pray for the presence of Your Holy Spirit to guide and teach me how to fulfill these, Your Words today as I live and work and move about life.

Thank and bless You Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to whom I pray through Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

 

Friday, December 13: Titus 2- Lord, does my living honor You?.

 

We, Believers or Christians, represent God and God’s Word. We should live in a way that honors God… Right?! I was struck by the ‘so thats’ of today’s passage.

--Verse 5: Older women are to live... so that no one will malign the word of God.

--Verse 8: Younger men are to live… so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.

--Verse 10: Slaves are to live… so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

People are watching us, even as we watch other people. The way we live should speak positively about the Lord, whom we follow. People may not believe what we believe, but there should be nothing in our lives that allows others to besmirch our God.

Today’s time in the Word drives me to look at my life and ask, “Lord, Jesus, does my living honor You? Almighty God, does my life honor You? Holy Spirit, am I living such that my life reflects positively upon You?”

Self examination is required to answer these questions…

Lord God, grant me patience, insight and determination to examine my life in light of Your Word and to make the needed adjustments so that my life constantly reflects better and better upon You, my Lord God. Through Jesus, I pray. Amen.

 

Thursday, December 12: Titus 1- Word + Deed.

How important are actions? VERY. In describing false teachers of Crete to Titus, Paul gives a telling observation. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him (16).

Sparks flew as I pondered this.

Belief can be a slippery concept. What we believe… is it defined best by what we say, we believe or by how we act in accordance with our said beliefs? I wrestled with this thought. And I lean toward the latter.

It is easier to profess belief in a truth than it is to live it. It seems reasonable that what I truly believe I will do or at least strive to do. Oh, I may fall short from time to time, but my trajectory is to live what I believe.

As this thought tumbles, I look back to Paul’s words, They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. Their verbal claims do not match their actions.

As I type this last sentence, its point comes back to confront and challenge me. Are my faith-claims matched by my actions? God presses this into me as I watch the sun rise outside my window. Am I consistent?  Does my living shout “Bill loves Jesus”?

Lord, I pray so. I pray that my life is consistent, honorable and faith-filled. I pray my actions speak and confirm my professed faith in You. Amen.

 

Wednesday, December 11: 2Timothy 4- Being rescued by God, what does it really mean?.

My heart was attracted to verse 18. The body of the letter ends with these words, all that remains are the final greetings.

Verse 18 reads, The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Despite his dire circumstances, imprisoned in Rome, Paul remains perfectly confident in God and God’s care, protection and ultimate salvation.

If I am reading it correctly, there is a significant difference between Paul’s view and the modern western Christianity view. Protection or rescue in the dominant western Christian view means that God rescues us from the trial, pain or persecution. Paul sees God’s rescue as a guarantee that God will bring him safely into eternity. Paul’s understanding of rescue is not necessarily on the earthy plain or in his earthy situation. Paul’s understanding of rescue has to do with his ultimate salvation and the guarantee of making it to eternity with God.

This leads me to realize how tied I am to this life and my 60 or 90 years here on earth, where Paul lived his earthly life in light of heaven’s reality. God’s rescue may not mean an easy earthly life, but it certainly means salvation in the life to come.

I wonder if I am bound too tightly to my earthly comforts, to the easy life, life without real sacrifice for Jesus or persecution…

Do I spend too much time on me, mine, my life and my family and my ‘this and that’, missing the ‘give-a-way-my-life’ aspect of following Jesus?

My musings as I sit with my Lord this morning…

Lord, continue to work in me. Show me my faith deficiencies. Reveal where my life is still under the control of my carnal flesh. Sanctify me, cleanse me, mature me, show me Your way and ways that I might be effective in advancing Your kingdom for Your glory and honor. Amen.

 

Tuesday, December 10: 2Timothy 3- Persecuted???.

Paul is so matter of fact as he writes Timothy, In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (12).

Paul maybe matter of fact, but the words shock me. They seem so far from the way 21^st Century American Christians like me live. Face persecution (!) that is not our reality. Not only do we not face persecution, most of us anticipate that we will be blessed.

I kept pondering the difference between the words & world of Paul and our world today. Is it that Christianity has radically changed the world since the 1^st century or could it be that we have become so acculturated into our world that there would be no reason for the world to persecute us?

I have many thoughts but no concrete answer.  However, my general world is certainly different than Paul and Timothy’s world.

So what do I do with Paul’s word, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted?  I’m not sure.

But one thing I cannot do is rule out the possibility of persecution if I am living all out for Jesus. Maybe my lack of persecution indicates I am not living all out for Jesus. OUCH, got to think about this a bit more…

Lord… my life seems different than Paul and Timothy’s. I’m not sure what to do with the verse I pondered. Keep speaking to me, Lord. Lead me and guide me and if persecution is in my future, please grace me with the strength to live faithfully during my persecution.

Thank You, Lord. I love You. Through Jesus, I pray. Amen.

 

 

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Monday, December 9: 2Timothy 2-Godly behaviors.

I read the chapter a number of times wondering where God wanted to me to meditate. There is so much in this chapter. Eventually I landed on verse 22: Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

I pondered the phrase, Flee the evil desires of youth. I don’t know if youth today wrestle with the same things as in Timothy’s day… be that as it may, I pondered the desires of youth. Invincible, risk takers, faith foundations not yet solid, high sexual drive. I’m sure there are many more ‘youthful desires’ but I lingered with these. God says flee these kinds of desires. Why? Because they lead to behaviors that are not godly. Instead God says pursue:

-righteousness… right living before God

-love… that characteristic that is supposed to define Christ-followers

-peace… harmonious relationships with others and God, and

-positive relationships with other mature Christ followers…

As I think about these, they are powerful Christ-honoring ways to live.

The more I ponder these, the more I realize that these are fairly easy to write about but not particularly easy to live out… Oh, how much I need the help and strength of God.

Lord, please help me. These characterizes You ask me to pursue don’t come easily. I cannot master these on my own. I need Your help. These characteristics run counter to my human nature.  Please endow me with Your Spirit. Only by the grace of Your Spirit can I master these.

Thank You, Jesus… in Your name, I pray. Amen.

 

Saturday, December 8: 2Timothy 1- For God's purpose.

I naturally view life through the lens of self… myself. Somewhere in the mix of why I choose the friends I have is the way the friendship benefits me. After my salary is deposited it is spent in ways that benefit me (and my family). When I buy airline tickets I choose an aisle seat because that is what I like. Missions that I support generally touch my heart in some way.

I really don’t know how to live life selflessly. Self, it seems, is part of all aspects of my life. (BTW, I believe God understands this… I am thinking of the second half of the greatest commandment; love your neighbor as yourself, ‘as you love yourself.’ More thoughts on this some other day.)

Naturally when it comes to salvation, my initial thinking is somehow, someway, God saved me because of me. I am not proud to admit this, but these thoughts live in me.

So when I come to 2Timothy 1:9, it provides a much needed corrective to my self-focus. Check it out, So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. I bolded the words that corrected me.

God saved me, NOT because of me or because I am so good or have so much potential or any other ‘self’ reason. God saved me because of His purpose and His grace. That’s it. And the same could be said about any person who reads this meditation or this Scripture.

My salvation, as wonderful and blessed it is, is not about me. It is about God. God’s purpose, God’s grace, God’s glory and honor.

This truth and my meditations upon it are pressing me to praise. I am reminded of an old hymn we used to sing by Julia Johnston, which will be my prayer.

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,

Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!

Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,

There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that is greater than all our sin.

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,

Freely bestowed on all who believe!

You that are longing to see His face,

Will you this moment His grace receive?

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that is greater than all our sin.

Lord, God, I thank You for Your grace, for Your mercy, for Your salvation. May I live my life in dedication to You, who saved me and longs for all to be saved and come to the saving knowledge of Your Gospel. Through Jesus, Lord and Savior, I pray. Amen

 

What a delightful way to prepare for public worship tomorrow.