Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
At one time we too were … deceived …
Summary: Being a demon is hard work. You cannot force people to leave God’s Light, you have to tempt them. Fortunately for the demons, their work is made easier when we turn our back on God.
Continue reading “Titus 3:3 (d) — Going Astray”
At one time … we too were foolish …
Summary: Paul the apostle makes the case that everyone has been foolish at some time, even the apostles chosen by Jesus himself.
Continue reading “Titus 3:3 (b) — Foolishness”
Remind the people to be … considerate …
Summary: Being considerate means considering want other people might need or want. The second step is thinking about what we can do for others. The third step is doing it.
Continue reading “Titus 3:2 (c) — Consideration”
Remind the people … to be peaceable …
Summary: Like many other words in the Bible, the underlying Greek is richer in meaning than one word in English can express.
Continue reading “Titus 3:2 (b) — Hombre”
Remind the people … to slander no one …
Summary: Slander is an untruth that eats at a person’s reputation. Even if the slanderer believes that the lie is true, the damage that follows can never be fully undone.
Continue reading “Titus 3:2 (a) — A Weapon of Voice”
Remind the people … to be obedient …
Summary: Obedience is a challenge. There are many people and rules that we are supposed to obey. We now have more rules in our country than any one person can know, let alone obey. Yet our willingness to obey still sets us apart from the worldly.
Continue reading “Titus 3:1 (c) — Stop and Go”
Remind the people … to be subject to rulers and authorities …
Summary: Being subject to authority is a common topic in the Bible. It seems unfair that we would have to serve an ungodly ruler. Yet this world is not all there is. We need to serve God and trust in his eternal plan.
Continue reading “Titus 3:1 (b) — Rulers and Authorities”
… to redeem us from all wickedness …
Summary: Being redeemed is not like snapping your fingers. It is a process. There is a payment to be made, and then there is a collection process. Eventually we see our Redeemer face to face. At that point we have been redeemed.
Continue reading “Titus 2:14 (b) — Up and Down”
—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ …
Summary: Paul’s words in this passage identify Jesus as God and Savior. These are two parts of what scholars call “the Trinity.” The word is dangerous if it causes someone to think that they understand our God. That would be a bit like an ant claiming to understand Shakespeare.
Continue reading “Titus 2:13 (b) — In The Air”
… in this present age …
Summary: There are limits to what we can know about Paul’s thinking. Yet there are clues in his letter to Titus that give us confidence that his words are still relevant today.
Continue reading “Titus 2:12 (c) — The Age”