In my personal Bible time, I've been studying Titus. Sometimes it's easy to breeze through parts of the Bible I think I already know, but if I let myself go into it thinking that way, I'd miss so much!
I knew the basics: elders in the church are to set a good example, that older women are to instruct and encourage the younger women, and the younger women are to love their husbands and children, and so on... but I'd missed a very important part -- the reason why to do all these things!
I knew the basics: elders in the church are to set a good example, that older women are to instruct and encourage the younger women, and the younger women are to love their husbands and children, and so on... but I'd missed a very important part -- the reason why to do all these things!
"...so that God's message will not be slandered." (Titus 2:5)
In all my years of growing up in church, I didn't realize that I was an ambassador for Christ, whether I liked it or not. Because I called myself a Christian, I was his representative. Period. I certainly wasn't a good one. I knew that sin would affect my personal relationship with Christ, but I never thought of how unbelievers might view God because of me. That grieves me greatly now. Even though I wasn't truly trusting and following Christ in those years, I still professed belief in Him -- but the things I did while wearing a cross around my neck and calling myself His follower must have angered and saddened Him. I join with Paul in saying, "we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, captives of various passions and pleasures..." I was all those things, but Christ rescued me from myself.
So now, I want to be mindful of how I live. I want to "walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God." (Colossians 1:10) I want to live joyfully because Christ is with me -- and within me; I want to honor Him with my life, in how I love my husband, my children, my friends, my literal and figurative neighbors; I want to honor Him in how I manage my (His, really) finances and material goods. I never, ever again want to do anything to slander God's message.
I've been thinking more about good works, too. It's not how we're saved, but we should be eager and ready to do good works (see Titus 2:14, 3:1). There are people in the world who have never heard the gospel of Christ, but most of the people I know have heard it over and over -- maybe incorrectly, or missing parts, but they know the basic message. The problem is they don't see Christians living any differently Monday through Saturday than anyone else. They need to see Christ's love in action, and it needs to look different than the good works done by kindly philanthropists who want to better the world. So many people have very low expectations for Christians, and that grieves me -- but does it grieve me enough?
So now, I want to be mindful of how I live. I want to "walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God." (Colossians 1:10) I want to live joyfully because Christ is with me -- and within me; I want to honor Him with my life, in how I love my husband, my children, my friends, my literal and figurative neighbors; I want to honor Him in how I manage my (His, really) finances and material goods. I never, ever again want to do anything to slander God's message.
I've been thinking more about good works, too. It's not how we're saved, but we should be eager and ready to do good works (see Titus 2:14, 3:1). There are people in the world who have never heard the gospel of Christ, but most of the people I know have heard it over and over -- maybe incorrectly, or missing parts, but they know the basic message. The problem is they don't see Christians living any differently Monday through Saturday than anyone else. They need to see Christ's love in action, and it needs to look different than the good works done by kindly philanthropists who want to better the world. So many people have very low expectations for Christians, and that grieves me -- but does it grieve me enough?
