"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus," Titus 2:11-13
There was once a specific incident that occurred while preparing to go to worship when I was a kid. Mom made sure my sister and I were bathed, fed, dressed and combed. The instruction was as it always was: "Now sit there and wait for your father and I to get dressed, and whatever you do, don't get dirty." Back in those days, people wore their Sunday best and they made sure that their children grew up knowing that it was important to be your best and present your best before the Lord.
On this occasion, I was a bit restless. I had a new toy truck I wanted to play with and besides, it always took mom and dad forever to get ready. I grabbed the truck and headed for the door. My sister said, "Boy you heard what Mom said! You better not go out there 'cause you're gonna get dirty and then you're gonna get it." "Shut up," I replied and went my way. You can just about guess what happened. I went out there as carefully as I could but came back in with dirt on the knees of my suit pants. Suffice it to say that Mom was not happy, punishment ensued and I was not at my best for the Lord.
Beloved, God has given us all we need to have the desire and motivation to lead righteous lives. We have been equipped with knowledge, instruction and wisdom. We have been given a choice as to whether to obey or not. And we have been given promises and assurances backed up by every day provision and answered prayers that if we would just wait on the Lord, the rewards would be everlasting. Let us not be like those who become restless and impatient. Let us not be disobedient and rebellious toward our heavenly Father. He will do what He said He would. We must be loving enough to obey and faithful enough to look forward with great anticipation to His deliverance.
Committed,
Lee
Showing posts with label Titus 2:11-13. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Titus 2:11-13. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
The Difference of Light 12/18/2012
"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus." Titus 2:11-13
There ought to be a difference between those who are the children of God and those who are not. That difference should be able to seen in behavior and readily apparent to all who observe carefully. This is not to say that we should walk around evaluating one another but that the things we choose to say and do should be indicative of our status as members of the family of God. Regardless of what was thought about Jesus, the fact that he healed the sick, fed the hungry, preached love, reached out to the poor and hopeless, and helped those in need (rather than judge them) was undeniable to all who observed him. Even his enemies dealt very carefully with him so as not to incite an insurrection against themselves by the recipients of his goodness.
Beloved we are called to be the presence of the Lord on earth. Jesus has said to us and of us, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" Matt 5:14-16. The light that comes from him yet shines through his own is to be a beacon to those who are seeking love, truth, peace and salvation. Let us not ever send mixed messages. Let us not be confused with those who do not know God. We should strive to be different because, through His grace, we are different. Let that difference attract others even as they were when The Light shone among men.
Rejoicing in the Lord,
Lee
There ought to be a difference between those who are the children of God and those who are not. That difference should be able to seen in behavior and readily apparent to all who observe carefully. This is not to say that we should walk around evaluating one another but that the things we choose to say and do should be indicative of our status as members of the family of God. Regardless of what was thought about Jesus, the fact that he healed the sick, fed the hungry, preached love, reached out to the poor and hopeless, and helped those in need (rather than judge them) was undeniable to all who observed him. Even his enemies dealt very carefully with him so as not to incite an insurrection against themselves by the recipients of his goodness.
Beloved we are called to be the presence of the Lord on earth. Jesus has said to us and of us, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" Matt 5:14-16. The light that comes from him yet shines through his own is to be a beacon to those who are seeking love, truth, peace and salvation. Let us not ever send mixed messages. Let us not be confused with those who do not know God. We should strive to be different because, through His grace, we are different. Let that difference attract others even as they were when The Light shone among men.
Rejoicing in the Lord,
Lee
Monday, March 12, 2012
Knowing and Doing Better-3/12/2012
"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus," Titus 2:11-13
My mom used to say all of the time, "Son, when you know better, do better." At the time,the only thing I could take from that was that I had done something wrong. This was one of her gentler ways of letting me know that her expectations of me were higher than my performance. It was only with age and experience that I came to realize the import and the impact of what she was saying.
Beloved, God has a similar message for us today. There is not one who calls upon the name of Christ that does not know life before him and all that it entailed. The apostle Peter wrote, "For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries," 1 Pet 4:3. In other words, we have been there, done that, and some of us have bought the t-shirt. Now that we are children of God, we are called to a higher standard. We are called to this because we have become educated about who God is, what He provides and what He expects. There was so little benefit to the lives we were living previously. Now our path is set, our destination is sure and the benefit is out of this world.
Now that we know better, let us diligently pursue doing better and being better.
Rejoicing in the Lord,
Lee
My mom used to say all of the time, "Son, when you know better, do better." At the time,the only thing I could take from that was that I had done something wrong. This was one of her gentler ways of letting me know that her expectations of me were higher than my performance. It was only with age and experience that I came to realize the import and the impact of what she was saying.
Beloved, God has a similar message for us today. There is not one who calls upon the name of Christ that does not know life before him and all that it entailed. The apostle Peter wrote, "For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries," 1 Pet 4:3. In other words, we have been there, done that, and some of us have bought the t-shirt. Now that we are children of God, we are called to a higher standard. We are called to this because we have become educated about who God is, what He provides and what He expects. There was so little benefit to the lives we were living previously. Now our path is set, our destination is sure and the benefit is out of this world.
Now that we know better, let us diligently pursue doing better and being better.
Rejoicing in the Lord,
Lee
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