16^th November

“For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God.”

Titus 2:11-12

There are some verses in the Bible, that when you read them, you can’t help but reflect on your own life as if looking into a mirror. Today’s verse is such a verse. Notice Titus’ words do not say, ‘because you now have the title ‘Christian’ you should behave like one’. No, rather Titus says that because of the grace of God, we are saved and equipped with the tools to live with wisdom righteousness and devotion to God. Moreover, in verse 14, he continues saying that Jesus gave His life to free us from sin and to make us His own people. We are not saved and then just dumped on the sidewalk by a Father who doesn’t want us. On the contrary. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are our biggest cheerleaders, cheering us on, supporting us and helping us live lives ‘totally committed to doing good deeds’ (v14b) and honouring God. We have a responsibility to live for God in all we do and live lives reflective of the work of God in our hearts, BUT we are not alone. God is with us. His love perfects us, moulds us and convicts us. ‘God wants us to make spiritual progress even more than we do!’¹