… eager to do what is good.
Summary: Paul describes what godly living is all about, and the end of his thought is that God’s people are eager to do what is good. The question then becomes, “What is good?” Paul points us to some things that help us define good from God’s perspective instead of our own.
At last, we arrive at the end of a very long sentence. Paul began three verses ago by saying that the grace of God that appeared in the form of Jesus Christ teaches us certain things. It teaches us to:
- Say “No” to ungodliness
- Say “No” to worldly passions
- Live a self-controlled life
- Live an upright life
- Live a godly life
The result of all this is to purify us as God’s own people who are eager to do what is good. Okay, let’s get started! What good should we do first?
Before I can do what is good, I need to understand something. The term “good” is relative. It varies depending on who’s “good” you are talking about. For example, what seems good to me might be different than what seems good to you.
The good that Paul is talking about in his letter to Titus is a singular kind of good. It is what God thinks is good.
God’s idea of what is good generally seems foreign to us humans. Down here on earth, we tend to get wrapped up in our own perspective on things. We want stuff for us. We want things to go our way. We want…
What we “need” is often very different than what we want. We need to be right with God. We need to be with him throughout all eternity. We need his love and acceptance. Without God, we are left to try and meet our needs on our own at the expense of everyone around us.
Doing what God knows is good does not always “feel good.” It does not feel good to apologize for example. It does not feel good to admit we are wrong. It does not feel good to put the needs of others before our own.
Interestingly, the person who lives a godly life does good when they put God’s will before their own. A godly life is saying “No” to ungodliness. An upright life is saying “No” to worldly passions. Self-control is shutting the mouth when everything inside of you wants to scream at the face in front of you.
Oops. Did I just write that last line out loud?
Yes, sometimes I find myself frustrated by life’s drama. Sometimes it seems like the entire world is arrayed against logic and reason. Ever since the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9), it has been difficult to get along. When God confused our language, he divided our perspectives. Logic and reason have devolved to an individual level. Finding common ground between minds is difficult. Our only hope for peace and unity is to look at our lives through the lens of God’s Word. Then we can know that the good we are eager to do is actually good.
Application: Read the Bible every day. Study it. Memorize it. Live it.
Food for Thought: How can you know that the good you want to do is actually good?
Thank you for the devotion. I think you said it well – we look at our lives through the lens of God’s word. Everyone looks at their lives through some sort of filter. Thankfully we have the truth and consistency of God’s special revelation in His word. Psalm 119: 1 – 7.
Thank you, Rich.
Your reference passage is very appropriate.
“Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the Lord” Ps 119:1
My daily reading today happened to include Proverbs 6:12-19.
The Proverbs passage is a bookend of sorts to Ps 119. What to do and what not to do.
How can you know that the good you want to do is actually good?
Do we love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind?
Do we are love our neighbor as ourself?
Do we go into the world, reveal the gospel, baptize and teach others to observe all that Jesus has commanded us?
Matthew 22:35-40, Mark 12:28-34, Matthew 28:18-20
To live as Jesus commands, we must first recognize salvation is not a just ticket to heaven, but a process of inner transformation. The Bible tells us, if we are in Christ, we are a new creation. God has not saved us, expecting us to achieve a big list of His requirements on our own. No, He calls us into an active relationship with Himself. Being a good christian means focusing, committing our life to knowing God and glorifying Him over ourselves. We join in God’s work by obeying His commands as revealed in His word, and seek to make Him known to others. We demonstrate His love to one another and to the world, as we encourage one another in faith and getting to know God more. We fellowship with other believers to encourage one another in faith and life and to help one another get to know God more.
2 Corinthians 5:17-18, John 15:1–17, 13:34-35, Matthew 28:18–20
The Christian life is not about being good. It is about having been reconciled with God, standing before Him clothed in Christ, being considered good and living out the fruit of such amazing grace. It is because of this that we work out own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in us, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Philippians 2:12–13.
So we now live the rest of our time in the flesh is not for the praises of men, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from our heart, knowing the will of God, equips us in every good thing we do. Knowing every good and perfect gift is from above, as it comes down from the Father of lights.
1 Peter 4:2, Ephesians 6:6, Hebrews 13:21, James 1:17, 2 Peter 1:3–8
Ron,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I like how you bring us back to God’s perspective and our rightful place as servants.