OBEDIENCE

Titus 2:9-10

Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.

Personal Challenge

Paul, who earlier in this epistle identified himself as a bondservant to Jesus Christ, continues to exhort Titus, and us, to be obedient to those who are over us. We do not have bondservants today but we do enter into agreements where we submit to others whether it be employment or membership in an organization. As followers of Christ there are godly ways for us to be living under another’s governance. This part of Titus teaches about these ways. This does not prevent us from leaving these situations when they become abusive or ungodly. Glory be to God!

Hosea 2:19-22

“I will betroth you to Myself forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Myself
In righteousness and justice,
And in mercy and compassions.
I will betroth you to Myself in faithfulness,
And you shall know the Lord.
“It shall come to pass in that day,” says the Lord,
“That I will listen to heaven,
And it shall listen to the earth.
The earth shall listen to the corn,
And the wine, and the oil;
And they shall listen to Jezreel.”

Encouraging Words

Hosea is a very intriguing book in the Old Testament. God tells His prophet Hosea to marry a prostitute who then continues to go on about her business until she is destitute and cast out by her society. Hosea loves her through all of this and ultimately restores her as a beautiful woman, wife, and mother of their children. Hosea’s life is a metaphor to the people of Israel about God’s love for them as they prostitute themselves to the god’s and traditions of the world around them. God loves His church, His Bride, dearly . Even as His church throughout history has turned her back on Him and joined themselves with the ways of the world, He continues to wait for us, long for us, desire us to turn back to Him, Where are we today in this story? Lord, have mercy! Loud, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Titus 2:6-8

Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded, in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.

Personal Challenge

Paul challenges Titus, and all the rest of the followers of Christ, to be sober-minded and in all things to show ourselves to be patterns of good works and in our doctrine that we follow to show integrity, reverence, incorruptability, and sound speech that cannot be condemned. We are to do this so that whomever is our opponent may be a shamed and have nothing evil to say about us. We are to be above reproach and clearly demonstrating the truths of our Lord Jesus Christ. If you see someone proclaiming to be a Christian and not striving to meet these characteristics then feel free to question the fruit of their lives. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Titus 1:1

Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness,

Personal Challenge

Paul did everything he did, wrote everything that he wrote, and bore every hardship that came his way out of his love for, and commitment to, his Lord Jesus Christ. If we desire to be godly followers of Christ, then we must do the same. God has no use for people who only claim His name, but do not do His works, His way. Lord have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Sirach 39:33-35

All the works of the Lord are good.
And He will supply every need in its hour.
No one can say, “This is worse than that,”
For all things will be well pleasing in their time.
So now sing praise with all your heart and voice,
And bless the name of the Lord.

Encouraging Words

Our God is good. His works are good. He supplies our every need. He cares for us and carries us through life. We can sing praises to Him and bless His name. Glory be to God!

Sirach 39:1-3

How different is the man who devotes himself
To the study of the law of the Most High.
He will seek out the wisdom of all the ancients
And be occupied with their prophecies.
He will preserve the discourse of notable men
And penetrate the subtleties of parables.
He will seek out the hidden meanings of proverbs
And be engaged in the riddles of parables.

Personal Challenge

Years ago, I went to Thailand five different times to help rebuild after the tsunami of 2004. One of the things that I observed was that nearly all Thai’s proclamed to be Buddhist because they were Thai. Many had never stepped foot into a Buddhist temple or ever practiced Buddhism, and yet they call themselves Buddhists because the were Thais. We are seeing this same behavior here in the United States. Many believe that because they are American, they are Christians. Many do not attend church regularly if ever at all. Most have not read the Bible. Is it any wonder that we are seeing so many things being done in our society the name of Christianity that would be considered heresy or evil by Jesus Christ. How do we fix this? Sirach tells us how. Study the scriptures, which is much more than just listening to a sermon every once in a while. Seek out the wisdom of the ancients, the early church fathers, and their teachings. Study what they taught us. Listen to, and preserve, the discourses of noble men and women. Take time to penetrate these teachings and discourses of the Scriptures and teachings of those who have gone before us. Being a follower of Christ is so much more than just proclaiming to be a Christian. It means giving our lives to Him, loving Him, loving our neighbor, devoting outselves to Christ and being like Him. Glory be to God!

2 Timothy 4:7-8

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Personal Challenge

Living a life that focuses on following in the footsteps of Christ is not an easy life. It is indeed rewarding but not in the way that the world or prosperity gospel people expect. As Paul reminds Timothy, we are fighting a fight for the good of God and our neighbor. We want to be able to look back at our lives and say that we fought the fight good. We are running a race to the end. This not a sprint, it is a lifelong marathon. We only finish the race when we repose in our Lord’s arms. Our goal, our desire, is to keep the faith in our Lord through to the end. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me the sinner!