Day 11: Grateful for the Greatest Gift of All!
11For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct, and devotion to God, 13while we look forward to that wonderful event when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. 14He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing what is right. Titus 2:11-14
The Apostle Paul is more direct with Titus in getting to the point of what God has done by his grace than in his other letters of which we’ve read portions so far this week. Notice the strong statement about salvation in verse 11, 11For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. Paul contrasts the way we live when we have received salvation with the way we used to live before receiving it. In verse 12, Paul reminds us that we are to TURN from godless living and sinful pleasures. Over the years, one of the greatest challenges I have faced in telling others about the great grace and salvation of God in Jesus Christ is the apparent lack of transformation in so many who bear His name—including myself all too often. Paul understood, and we must understand as well that when the grace of God has been revealed in our lives through Jesus, that the logical, reasonable and certain outcome for those who respond is SALVATION. Unfortunately, down through the centuries many challenges to this simple reality have been set forth by the “great” theologians of various eras. I put “” around the adjective “great,” simply as a way of pointing out that too often the greatness is not in the living out of the clear teachings of Scripture, but in developing arguments for why Jesus or Paul or some other biblical writer didn’t really mean that we are supposed to become holy, or righteous as we find in today’s reading, “…totally committed to doing what is right.” Once we receive the greatest gift of all—salvation in and through Jesus, we show our gratitude must clearly when we live holy and righteous lives!
Questions and Comments for Reflection and Action:
When Paul tells us that the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to ALL people; why do you think it is that so few actually show the “fruit” of being saved in daily living?
Take some time in prayer right now to ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit that you may be totally committed to doing what is right, not only today, but always!