Today’s reading asks for some lessons God has taught me concerning wrong actions and worldly passions. These terms come from these verses . . .
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. (Titus 2:11–12)
Perhaps the biggest lesson is that I cannot control myself. Unless the Spirit of God is at work, I’ll go for thoughtless talk, anger at the people who cross me, prideful pursuits and too much chocolate. Of course this is just the short list.
The passage says the Holy Spirit does the teaching, but He also does the doing. I need to be yielded to Him, filled with Him, and under His direction. How does that happen?
A church elder gave us a good illustration. He held an empty glass upright in his hand and said when our lives are right with God, the Holy Spirit pours Himself in. But when we sin (he tipped over the glass), the Spirit cannot fill us or do His work in us. We are responsible for confessing our sin and God will forgive and cleanse us. He turned the glass upright again.
Seems simple, but there was more. He began flipping the glass from upright to tipped. He said, “You have to remember that your life will be a constant repetition of being upright and tipped over. The best you can do is learn how to stay upright — and filled — a bit longer each time.”
That reality is bad enough, but since then I’ve learned another truth that seems even more discouraging. The Lord has shown me that I am often clueless. I don’t always realize when I’ve tipped or even what I did to cause the tip.
For instance, yesterday started well, but sometime during the late afternoon I must have stopped listening. Selfish indulgence took over and self-discipline vanished. This time I was eating too much and watching too much television instead of doing whatever God may have wanted me to do had I been paying attention. I not only missed whatever tipped me into selfishness, I also wasted several hours.
The reading says that “righteous ambition precedes self-discipline.” That simply means that I need to want what God wants if I am going to deny worldly passions and behave in a Spirit-controlled way.
Another thing that God has taught me relates to that lesson. It showed up yesterday. The truth is that He does not always tell me His will up front. Sometimes I need to first deny my own wants and selfishness before He directs my steps. It would be easier if the choice was clear — I could say yes to Him and no to me. However, it is not always clear and I cannot use that as an excuse.
Faith is my option. Say no to what I want, whether it is more food, more books, more fabric, more television, more of my own way — and all the while trust that God will show me the righteous and godly options to self-indulgence. This is the big lesson for everyday living as a Christian. It means paying attention while I am tipped over, not feeling sorry for myself that I “did it again” but wanting that fresh start that God gives to all who ask.
It also means that even when I’m right-side-up I must continually pay attention to Him. To live is Christ means that as soon as I start considering myself, my needs, my wants, my this or that, then my glass has already tipped over.
After hearing a simple gospel message, four-year-old Hanna looked at me with large brown eyes and said, “But I’ve never murdered anyone.”
Even at her young age, Hanna defended herself against the idea that “all are sinners” by the things that she did not do. In her mind, and in the minds of many, no big sin means no condemnation and salvation is not necessary.
Why do people need to be saved from sin? Is it about murder and stealing and doing horrible things? If it were, where would the dividing line fall? Whose lives would pass muster and be good enough? And whose lives would fall short?
The propensity to sin is something that came into the human race in the garden of Eden. Adam and Eve disobeyed God and instead did what seemed to them like a good idea. Every person has this same tendency. We do what we think is the best thing for us. Sometimes choices are based on what the Bible says about goodness, such as being kind to others, but godliness is more than goodness, especially our human idea of living a good life.
Godliness is living in a relationship with God where He is our life, where He speaks and we listen. Godliness is Christ in me, like a hand in a glove. Just as a glove cannot move without the hand, I can do no godly thing apart from Jesus Christ.
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. (Titus 2:11–12)
Both denying sin and saying yes to godliness are possible through the grace of God. Yet self-control and what appears to be a righteous life can happen, in part, without Jesus. It is external and about a strong will, not a changed heart. It is self-determination for personal gain, not an inward motivation from the Holy Spirit. Goodness is self-motivated; godliness has no concern for self gain. Godly people are interested in pleasing only God, often at great personal cost.
Lately I’ve realized the difficulty of explaining this to anyone who thinks they are good. Hanna grew up and eventually took the gospel to heart and became a Christian. Others retain that wide-eyed “Who? Me?” childhood response to the gospel into adulthood. Some take it to their grave. They have decided that their goodness is good enough.
Isaiah 53 describes the coming Messiah and His death for the sins of the world. He says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
Every living person turns to their own way, whether that includes murdering someone who gets in their way or simply deciding for themselves that their goodness is good enough. It is for this self-directed living, this ignoring or denying what God says about sin, that Christ died.
To live is Christ means letting grace teach me what to deny, but also how to live in His power. It means avoiding contentment with mere outward appearances and letting His Spirit deeply convict and cleanse me. It means yielding to grace that can conquer the sin that is in me. It means Christ ruling every part of my thoughts, words and deeds and giving Him the glory because without Him, there is no godliness — and my own goodness will never pass the test of God’s judgment.
Among other things, Olympic athletes have tremendous focus and self-control. They do it because winning a medal depends on those things as much as it does on physical strength and well-developed skill.
I’ve been thinking about the importance of focus and self-control, partly because of the Olympics and partly because of these verses I’ve been reading.
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. (Titus 2:11–12)
God offers His grace that I might deny anything that pulls me away from obedience. The Ten Commandments lists sins like idolatry, murder, stealing and covetousness, but there are other sins more subtle.
Last night I was alternating between a magazine about quilting, a show on television, and the latest writers’ newsletter. I’d spent part of the day on a quilting project that I wanted to finish more than I wanted to make perfect, but was not happy about my workmanship. I was also thinking about how many interests that I’ve had but not fully developed. Easily distracted could be my excuse but I wondered if it was just plain lazy, that I didn’t want to make the effort to do one thing well. Dabbling in dozens and “good enough” was easier.
I often jest that I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, but time is running out. That thought was making my heart heavy. Should I be focusing on one thing, like Paul who said, “This one thing I do . . . ”? Or has God had me bounce around these many interests and occupations for a reason?
I prayed about it. One verse that I read this morning said, “ . . . the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Wherever struck me. Perhaps the choices are not so important as just making one. Whatever and wherever it is, God will be with me in it as long as it does not involve ungodliness or yielding to worldly passions.
Lurking in my mind was one of those worldly passions. It was the notion that if I do one thing (or many things) I must excel, do it well, be the best I can be. Yet I know that in God’s realm, sometimes He just wants it done. He supplies the skill to make it successful according to His way of measuring things, not mine.
I also wondered if perhaps God gave me multi-interests and abilities that He might use them as arenas to teach me self-control and godly behavior. My Christian life isn’t about whether I write, or paint, or make quilts, or teach, or any other thing that interests me, but how I live, and why, and who gets the glory.
The questions I must ask myself come easily to mind. The first one: Will God be glorified in this? A sub-question: When I want something done well, is it because excellence reflects on Him, or is this about me?
Another question is this one: Can I happily go from moment to moment doing what God puts on my heart and not be concerned about career, life-statement, or anything that makes me feel satisfied or proud of myself?
The answer to such perplexity is found in the person of Jesus Christ. Did He concern Himself about such things? Of course not. He came to do the will of God, not His own. Even at the point of death, He said, “Not my will but Thine be done” (Luke 22:42). All Jesus cared about was obedience and bringing glory to God.
As I write these things, I can see that the root of my questioning is envy. The accomplishments of others (in the magazine, the newsletter, television) stirred up the green-eyed monster, which must vanish upon confession. This is ungodly and a worldly passion that has no place in the life of an obedient Christian.
My chief goal in life is spelled out in the Bible. The goal that God has for me is to transform me into the image of His Son. It also might be His will that I win medals or top the charts, but only if it is part of that transformation process. (Incidentally, He can use ALL things to do it, see Romans 8:28-29.)
The other reality about Jesus is that He listened to His Father. He didn’t start the day with a to-do list but on His knees. He was kept busy, was never bored, and never cared one whit about what He wanted to be because He is as grownup as a person can get.
The pastor of a church poked fun at a self-righteous attitude that thinks, “We don’t smoke; we don’t chew; and we don’t run with the girls that do.”
While that makes me chuckle, that line often pushes me to examine my motives, and to make sure that I’m not wanting people to be impressed only for the things that I don’t do. Besides, I’ve no business claiming any credit for what I do or don’t do. It is the grace of God that teaches me how to live.
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. (Titus 2:11–12)
Apart from Christ, I’ve no power to say no to sin. Apart from Christ, I have no power to live as God wants me to live.
However, this passage and all of the New Testament stress the importance of both avoiding evil and doing good. Today’s devotional reading offers this striking statement: Abstinence without God-given love and service creates empty victories.
I can avoid watching sinful stuff on television, stay home from movies, stay away from bars, refuse to smoke or drink, never say bad words, and avoid anything that anyone might call sin, but what does that do regarding my Christian life and my witness to others?
The Pharisees did their best to avoid sinful actions and wound up being self-righteous and blind to the condition of their hearts. The mystics and religious recluses do their best to avoid sinful attitudes and wind up being useless and even unable to deal with their deepest lusts.
People misinterpret these choices too. I’ve had at least one person assume that my abstinence is some sort of self-righteous God-pleasing effort. I want to obey God, have better health and more time for other pursuits, and enjoy a clear conscience, but this person does not see it that way.
Most of the time I don’t give much thought to what other people think about my self-denial, good choices, and godly behavior. God asks me to live for Him, to please Him. In doing so, He will bless me. He might even bless others through me, or give them a glimpse of Himself in my life, but that is not my doing. I’m responsible for obeying, by grace, and trusting Him with the results. Yet at times I’ve been hurt by those who misunderstand my attitudes and actions.
It is a comfort to realize that Jesus did what God asked and was totally misinterpreted by even the most religious people. They hated Him and crucified Him. Yet the Bible says Jesus “committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth” but “when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:18–23). To live is Christ means doing what God asks and trusting Him with the results.
Peter later writes more on how I need to respond to being misunderstood as a believer in Jesus Christ.
But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. (1 Peter 3:14–17)
I cannot live so as to impress others with what I do or do not do. I must listen to God and obey Him. Grace teaches both self-denial and action. Those who do not know God may respect my choices, but they could also misinterpret and even threaten me. One way or the other, I need to remain steadfastly committed to Him.
Part of the “good news” of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that salvation is available to everyone. No sin is too great because the blood of Christ covers all sin. No sinner is too awful or too far gone that the mercy and grace of God cannot reach him.
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. (Titus 2:11–12)
The first part of this passage affirms that all of humanity is included. It does not say that all humanity is saved. (The Bible is clear that salvation belongs to those who respond to grace by faith and are given new life in Christ.) But it does use that word “all.” Christianity is not an exclusive faith in the sense it is only for white people, or only for a certain social group. Christ appeared for all so that all might have the opportunity of forgiveness and the victory described in the second part.
This morning before reading this, I read a section of Old Testament Law in Deuteronomy and hung my head. No one could keep this Law perfectly, least of all me. The high standard of the Law made me feel condemned and ashamed, at least for a few moments until my mind turned to the reality of Jesus Christ. Apart from Him and from the grace that brought salvation to me from Him, I would have no hope at all.
Yet He brought salvation, and in this I rejoice. I am forgiven! However, as the passage in Titus says, I continue to need the grace of God. Grace enables God’s people to live out this wonderful salvation that is ours.
The passage says grace teaches me to deny ungodliness and my sinful desires that are like those that fill the world. This denial is not something that I know by myself nor can do by myself. Grace teaches me how to recognize sin and say no to it.
Grace also teaches me how to live soberly. The word means self-controlled, or as I like to say it, “self under the control of the Holy Spirit.” I can nor more control myself than fly to Mars. This is a God thing, a product of grace. It comes from Jesus, not from me.
It goes without saying that my life is not righteous nor godly either — apart from grace. I need Jesus, plain and simple.
Today is a new day, the beginning of a new week and a new month. I sense the “start fresh” that goes with that, but in my spirit, and because of the grace of God, this is an encouragement that He gives every day. His grace forgives sin, conquers strongholds, renews hope, and blesses me in so many ways that again I hang my head, this time not with shame but with amazed gratitude.
The Christian practice of tithing or giving one-tenth of one’s earnings to the church is largely based on the Old Testament instructions to Israel. The only foundation for this in the New Testament is in this verse,
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. (Matthew 23:23)
Jesus is upbraiding the religious leaders of the day for paying their tithe and neglecting their hearts. He tells them they should do first things first, but not neglect the tithe.
We could debate whether this applies to believers. The Pharisees were under the Law. Jesus had not yet died for the sins of the world and salvation by grace through faith was still a mystery. Some could say that the church is not under the same regulations as the Jews were.
However, Jesus put us all in the same category when He talked about the heart. He wants our hearts to be right toward God and toward others. When the heart is right, then generosity becomes a way of life.
Those whose faith is in the Living God know that He is the source of all things. If I have an income, it is because God has provided for me. If someone has a need and I give them part of my income, God is faithful and will continue to provide for me.
The New Testament has much to say about this attitude and about giving. One passage encourages me . . .
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:6–7)
Giving with a cheerful heart expresses that I trust God to take care of my needs so much so that whatever I give away is not a big deal. I know that if I need it, God will give it back to me. If I don’t need it that also is reason to be glad because whatever I gave was a hindrance. Someone else needed it and far better that it goes to whom it belongs.
This ties together the thoughts from Matthew 23:23. Being able to give generously and without concern for our own needs is part of showing justice to others and being merciful. This also requires faith in the God who provides.
Sometimes I absent-mindedly put money in the offering plate as it passes. Instead, I ought to be thinking of and praying for those who will benefit from my giving. They are an important part of obeying God’s impulse to be generous.
I also ought to be thankful. Sometimes God asks me to show my heart with my wallet. He is pleased when I do it cheerfully. That pleasure is from knowing that He has provided — I not only have something to give, but the faith to do it without worrying about my own needs.
Yesterday someone reacted to the gospel message by attacking me. She is religious but does not know Jesus. Genuine Christians respond to the gospel with agreement, even those who are out of step with God at that moment. However, those who do not know Him often respond with great negativity toward both the message and the messenger.
The scribes and Pharisees reacted like that when Jesus told them the truth. They had their religious practices and when He exposed their lack of true faith, they attacked Him. One of those religious practices concerned giving a tithe or one-tenth of their income to the temple.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. (Matthew 23:23)
The tithe was only part of their spiritual pride. Jesus often pointed out that their lives didn’t reflect what they said they believed. Instead of examining their lives and admitting what He said was true, they attacked Him and tried to ruin His credibility. When they could not do that, they killed Him.
I can relate. The attack made on me was directed in a confused array of accusations mixed with compliments, rejection mixed with a request for friendship. My sinful flesh wants to defend myself and fight back. No way do I want to be friends with this person. The Holy Spirit says to hold back, do nothing right now, instead, “be still and know that I am God.” So far, I am being still.
My sin nature would also like to debate the issue, but I know that debate does not change the lives of other people. Only God can do that. If they will not listen to the Holy Spirit, there is no way anyone will listen to my arguments.
This morning the Holy Spirit suggests that my time and energy are better spent making sure that I have not neglected the weightier matters myself. I am not bound to the Old Testament Law, but as a Christian, I am responsible for living out the life of Christ who lives in me. That includes justice, mercy, and faith.
Justice or being just is not as easy as it sounds. God is perfectly just, yet He lets sinners live and even saves some from eternal damnation. His grace gives some evil people a long life, yet His providence allows cancer or some other awful death to young children. I know that God is just, but understanding how it works is beyond me. Obviously, His mercy is in the mix, but how does He make decisions? I don’t know.
That is the faith part and the reason I need to listen to the Holy Spirit. If God were evil, whimsical and capricious (as many seem to think) then trusting Him would be impossible. Yet He has not revealed Himself that way. His Word affirms that He knows what He is doing. Time and experience back it up. I need to pay attention and do exactly what He says, even concerning this person who attacked me.
In the bigger picture, my faith has nailed down that God is both just and merciful. I can see what He is doing, but not perfectly. His will is sometimes unclear, like a shadow behind the curtain of my limited humanity. One day that curtain will lift, but for now faith is sufficient. I can follow His leading with confidence.
On that note, to live is Christ means more than performing the externals of religious duties. It is a deep trust that God is God and that following Him is right and doing what He says will accomplish His just and merciful purposes.
Following Jesus also means that my life must become more like His each day. This transformation includes being just and merciful, but it also includes being misunderstood and even maligned. Christ knew that some who hear the gospel will reject it. Perhaps it is because their curtain is so thick that all they are able to see is darkness.
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