Day 56 - Titus

^{Titus is a beautiful little book, and much of it deals with daily life.  Not rules and regulations, more like ideals.  Paul is trying to teach these new followers of The Way how to live.  They have been ruled by the iron fist of the Law for so long that they don't know how to behave.  However, he is quick to point out that just because they're not under the Law any more doesn't mean that they're free to live willy-nilly out in the world, doing whatever they want.  In fact, faith in Christ raises the bar for what daily life looks like:}

 

¹⁶"They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

2:1 You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, ...6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us." (Titus 1:16-2:8)

How we live simply matters.  Followers of Jesus are supposed to be different.  Paul pounds that message over and over again in his letters, but it's never more clear as it is in Titus.  It raises some questions for us:

• What separates our lifestyles from the rest of the world?
• In what ways are we showing kindness and love when the world is showing a mean spirit?
• Do people look at us and see something different (in a good way)?

Followers of Christ are supposed to stand out.  Too often, Christians either don't stand out as our lifestyles look just like those around us.  Maybe that's because a lack of faith; maybe that's because we don't want to stand out.  Moreover, when we do stand out, it often looks like picket lines and protests rather than radical love and kindness to a broken world in every day life.  Let us do as Paul teaches Titus.  Let us live with actions that point to Jesus.