As we finish the book of Titus, Paul reminds us that the Christian life is marked by gentleness, good works, and concern for the communities where God has placed us. Andy reflects on civic responsibility as Election Day approaches, the importance of participating in our communities, and the deeper spiritual truth that living only for ourselves will never bring lasting fulfillment. Because God has saved us through grace and mercy, we are invited into a new way of life—one shaped by the Holy Spirit and directed toward loving God and serving others. The goodness and kindness of God don’t simply rescue us; they lead us toward a fuller, more meaningful life.
Join us for our daily reflections. In 10 short minutes, we’ll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help us better understand God’s Word.
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Good morning! It’s good to be with you on this Monday morning. I hope you’ve had a great weekend.
We had a great weekend here in Starkville. Commitment Sunday was yesterday, and that’s always a meaningful and exciting day in the life of the church. I’m looking forward to this coming Sunday, too, because it’s All Saints Sunday, one of my absolute favorite Sundays in the church year. It’s a beautiful and important day, and I’m really looking forward to celebrating it here at our church.
I hope you have a great week ahead, wherever you find yourself.
Today, we’re going to finish up the book of Titus. Tomorrow, we’ll turn to Philemon, another short letter in the back of the New Testament. It’s a little book with some interesting questions, so we’ll cross that Philemon bridge when we get there. After that, we’ll probably spend the rest of the week in the Psalms before heading back to the Old Testament.
But that’s a next-week Andy problem. Today, we’re finishing Titus!
Let’s look at chapter 3.
Paul begins by reminding Titus to encourage the people to respect rulers and authorities, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, and to show gentleness and courtesy to everyone.
He reminds them that they, too, once lived foolishly and were led astray by their passions and desires. They spent their days in malice and envy, hating one another.
But then something changed.
When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, God saved us—not because of our own righteous works, but because of God’s mercy. Through the rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit, poured out through Jesus Christ, we have been justified by grace and made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Paul then encourages Titus to insist on these things so that those who believe in God will devote themselves to good works. He warns against pointless controversies and divisions, and he closes the letter with some practical instructions and greetings.
So, what do we make of all this?
Remember the context in which Titus is serving. Throughout this letter, Paul has been emphasizing the importance of self-control, submission, and good works. He is concerned about a community in which people are being led astray by their own passions and desires.
And so, once again, Paul calls them to live differently.
Be subject to rulers and authorities. Be ready for every good work. Speak evil of no one. Avoid quarreling. Be gentle. Show courtesy to everyone.
I want to spend a moment on that first instruction, about rulers and authorities, because it’s especially relevant as we approach Election Day.
Paul says that Christians should be responsible members of their communities. We see something similar in Romans 13, where Paul discusses the relationship between Christians and governing authorities. These passages remind us that our faith has implications for how we live together in society.
Now, that doesn’t mean that every government decision is automatically right or that Christians should never challenge those in authority. Scripture gives us plenty of examples of faithful people who spoke up against injustice. But it does remind us that our faith should shape how we participate in our communities and how we treat people with whom we disagree.
And that brings me to something I’ve heard Dr. Roy Ruby say a couple of times. Those of you who are familiar with Starkville or Mississippi State may know Dr. Ruby. I’ve enjoyed getting to know him over these past few months and having the opportunity to be his pastor. He’s quite something!
I’ve heard him say, when someone does something you disagree with, “Well, that’s why we fought the war.”
In other words, we fought for the freedom to disagree. We fought for the freedom to have different opinions and make different choices, even when we don’t particularly like the choices someone else makes.
And I think there’s something important in that.
A lot of people have sacrificed a great deal so that we can participate in our democracy. We should never take that freedom for granted. As we approach Election Day, we should exercise that freedom and vote.
But I also believe the responsibility of citizenship extends beyond voting. Voting should be the floor, not the ceiling. We should be involved in our communities. We should look for ways to serve our neighbors, strengthen our towns, and contribute to the common good.
That’s especially true for those of us who follow Jesus.
I think about the word God gave to the people of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah when they were living in exile in Babylon. God told them to seek the welfare of the city where they had been sent, because its welfare would be tied to their own.
In other words, don’t simply withdraw from the community around you. Don’t spend all your time complaining about the place where you live. Work for its good.
And that’s what Paul is encouraging Titus to teach the church: Be ready for every good work. Be gentle. Treat people with courtesy. Don’t make quarrels your way of life.
We are called to be people who contribute to the well-being of the communities where God has placed us.
But then Paul goes deeper. He reminds us why we should live this way.
He says that we, too, once lived foolishly. We were disobedient, led astray, and enslaved to our passions and pleasures. We spent our time consumed by malice, envy, and hatred.
Paul is reminding us that we shouldn’t look at the world around us as though we’re somehow better than everybody else. We know what it’s like to be caught up in our own desires. We know what it’s like to make decisions that serve ourselves rather than others.
And we know how easy it is to convince ourselves that if we could just have everything we wanted, we’d finally be happy.
Think about it. We often imagine that if we could just arrange our lives the way we want them, get the things we want, pursue the things we desire, and answer to nobody but ourselves, we’d be completely fulfilled.
Eat, drink, and be merry! Just do what makes you happy!
But we know that isn’t how life works.
We talked about this when we were studying Ecclesiastes. The Teacher spends so much time exploring what happens when we pursue pleasure, possessions, accomplishments, and everything else we think will give our lives meaning. And over and over again, we discover the emptiness of trying to find ultimate meaning in things that cannot provide it.
Living only for ourselves eventually leaves us empty.
You might think that getting everything you want will make you happy. You might think that following every desire will give you freedom. But when our entire lives revolve around ourselves, we discover that there’s not nearly as much there as we imagined.
In fact, we can end up lonely, dissatisfied, and miserable.
There is something profoundly important about having something beyond yourself for which you are willing to live and serve. When you devote yourself to loving your family, caring for your children and grandchildren, supporting your spouse, honoring your parents, serving your neighbors, and giving yourself to the work God has placed before you, you discover something beautiful.
You discover a life that is bigger than you.
And that is precisely where Paul takes us in Titus 3.
He reminds us that we were once caught up in our own desires. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God appeared, God saved us—not because we had earned it or because we had finally gotten our lives together, but because of God’s mercy.
God’s grace changed everything.
And now, because of that grace, we are invited to live differently.
We are invited to die to ourselves and live for Jesus. We are invited to let go of the idea that our lives are ultimately about satisfying our own desires and instead discover the joy of loving God and serving others.
This is not about earning God’s love. Paul is clear that we are saved by God’s mercy, not by our own works. But the grace that saves us also transforms us. God’s love changes what we desire and how we live.
I always think about Romans 2:4, where Paul speaks of God’s kindness leading us to repentance. It is God’s kindness that draws us toward change. It is God’s love that invites us to turn away from the things that diminish our lives and toward the life God desires for us.
And that brings us back to the theme we’ve seen throughout Titus: self-control.
Ultimately, our self-control isn’t simply about trying harder to get our lives under control. It’s about allowing the Holy Spirit to shape us so that we are no longer ruled by every passing desire or impulse.
When we submit ourselves to God’s grace, we discover that the things we once thought would bring us happiness aren’t always the things that give us life. We begin to see that love, service, generosity, faithfulness, and goodness are not burdens that take life away from us. They are ways of entering more fully into the life God offers.
God’s kindness doesn’t merely forgive us for the ways we’ve lived for ourselves. God’s kindness invites us into a new way of living.
And that’s the heart of Titus.
If I had to sum up this little letter in a few words, I’d say it’s almost like a New Testament version of Proverbs. Paul is essentially telling Titus, “Help these people live wisely. Help them stop getting caught up in foolishness and division. Teach them to practice self-control, to do good, and to live in ways that reflect the grace of God.”
Or, to put it another way: “Titus, help these folks get their lives together!”
But the reason we do that isn’t simply because we need to behave ourselves. It’s because we’ve encountered the goodness and loving kindness of God in Jesus Christ.
Friends, if you want to discover a fuller life, don’t spend all your time chasing whatever you happen to want in the moment. Don’t make your own desires the center of everything.
Instead, draw close to Jesus. Allow the Holy Spirit to shape your life. Look for ways to love and serve the people around you. Seek the welfare of your community. Be ready for every good work.
Because when we stop living only for ourselves and begin living for Jesus and for others, we discover that life becomes something much more beautiful than we could have imagined.
Thanks for being with me today. Tomorrow, we’ll pick up with Philemon, that little letter tucked away near the end of the New Testament.
Have a great day, friends. I’ll see you tomorrow!