Doing Good

-


Scripture


This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men.
(Titus 3:8 NASB)

 

Observation


Paul was writing to Titus and encouraging him and the people to whom he was ministering to continue to grow in their faith. This was a message to those who had already believed. They knew Jesus Christ and were willing to declare him as Lord, but Paul said that this was not enough. Their lifestyle was to change and they were to declare Jesus as Lord, but then they were to go and engage in good deeds. This would be the sign that they were believers.

 

Application


It's the season in which we like to do good. Christmas seems to draw this out of us and think of ways that we can help the needy this time of year. We drop some money into the Salvation Army kettle, we drop off "Toys for Tots" and we become engaged in putting together food baskets for the needy within our community. But Paul was saying that this was not just something that would be done from time to time, but that the result of faith in Jesus Christ was a change in one's behavior. Those who loved Jesus would become engaged in good deeds, not just from time to time, but as a practice for their life!

God calls us to be engaged with our world in reaching out to those in need and doing good deeds. As a follower of Christ we must ask ourselves on a daily basis how we can become involved in God's activity here on this earth, participating together with him in his good deeds. God knows where we can and should be used today. Too often it is the "Christians" who have been to church on Sunday (and we look like it) and then engage with the world and leave a bad taste in peoples' mouths. We are unkind to the person working in the gas station, we complain that the line at the doughnut store is too long, or we get upset at the waitperson at the restaurant for being too slow. The world sees mean and grouchy Christians and wants nothing to do with us. We need to tune into Jesus and his leading every single day so that we can be his ambassadors, showing his love to our world as we practice good deeds!

 

Prayer


Lord, please help me to practice good deeds with all of those I come into contact with today. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Off Your Ornaments

-
Scripture: Ex. 33:4 ¶ When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments. Ex. 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.’” Ex. 33:6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. Observation: The people had sinned before God by making and worshiping the golden calf!  They had taken their golden jewelry — the earrings and other items they had gotten from the Egyptians and used them to create an idol.  Now, in an act of humility and repentance they were to take off all of their jewelry and ornaments.  It was a time of mourning over their sin and it included intentional action on the part of the Israelites.  Application: We don’t do all that well with humility and repentance!  It seems that we live in a time when we try to carry
Read more

Does God Value Boys More than Girls?

-
Scripture: Lev. 12:1 ¶ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Lev. 12:2 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: ¶ If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Lev. 12:3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Lev. 12:4 Her time of blood purification shall be thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed. Lev. 12:5 If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be sixty-six days. Lev. 12:6 ¶ When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Lev. 12:7 He shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement on her
Read more

The Advantage of Sanctification

-
Scripture: Rom. 6:22 But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. Rom. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Observation: Two sides of life are presented here in great contrast.  One is a life of sin and enslavement to evil.  The other side of life is freedom which provides the advantage of sanctification (or holiness as some translate the word) that leads to eternal life.  The options here are a life of sin, slavery and death; or freedom, holiness and eternal life.  The advantage of holiness or sanctification is the benefit of the life of freedom.  Jesus died so that we might be made holy like him and this is something that is offered as a “fruit” or “advantage” right now.  The end is eternal life — but the living of life is that it can be lived out in holiness.  The next verse is really just an affirmation of the verse 22.  Sin will lead
Read more