In his dedication to Judaism, young Saul of Tarsus (later to become the apostle Paul) always did his best. He wanted to prove his moral and spiritual excellence to God. As a Christian he did his best for an entirely different reason (Tit. 3:12-15).
Why do so many healthy and prosperous people feel empty and discontented? Maybe they don’t understand that joy is God’s gift for those who yield to his leading (Phil. 4:4).
A man in the Corinthian church was living with his stepmother – and the congregation was proud of it! Paul urged the church to drive out the wicked person. But why? His inspired instructions give us two reasons for removing a stubborn sinner from our fellowship (1 Cor. 5:1-13).
God commanded the people of Israel to set aside the seventh day of each week as a time for rest and worship. The Sabbath honored God as Creator of the world (Exod. 20:8-11). But the resurrection of Jesus ushered in a new creation, and his triumph over death didn’t come on a Sabbath.
Many church-goers seem to think that grace is for enlightened sinners living in sin and that good deeds are for stuffy people trying to earn eternal life. This is a serious misunderstanding. Good deeds spring from grace as surely as water flows from a well. And if a brother refuses to accept this, the church…
The Bible tells us that the peace of God stands guard over our hearts and minds through Jesus Christ (Phil. 4:7). What are the three ways that we experience God’s peace, and how do we receive it?
Most people drool a little bit at the thought of inheriting a huge sum of money. But the Bible promises a far more splendid inheritance (Tit. 3:3-8a). Jesus died on the cross – and he left us in his will.
The ancient Greek historian Polybius said that the Cretans were given to political infighting, murder, and violent uprisings. How were the Christians on Crete to live as citizens in their politically messy society? Paul’s inspired answer to that question has something to say to the church in 21st century America (Tit. 3:1-2).
Elijah witnessed a great spiritual victory on Mount Carmel. But immediately afterward he was in the dumps and ready to give up his prophetic ministry. The Lord didn’t blame the prophet for his depressed feelings, but neither did he permit Elijah to wallow in self-pity (1 Kings 19:9-18).
For Committed Christians, living in this depraved world is a challenge – but not an insurmountable one. Paul reminds Titus that God’s grace has changed our spiritual condition, trained us to deny sinful desires, and inspired us with hope (Tit. 2:11-14).