Wednesday Devotional 10/14 Titus 1:1-4

Weekly Devotional Titus 1:1-4

Hey everybody, I’m Tony Graffanino with UPI with our weekly devotional. We are looking at Paul’s letter to Titus, and focusing on chapter 1, verses 1-4.

I talked Sunday about the view that Paul had of himself, a willing servant of Jesus, who had been sent on a mission by Jesus, with a message from Jesus, or about Jesus and kingdom living.

Paul viewed this mission and message as “crucial for the faith of God’s people”, so that they would “know the truth” and thereby live godly lives.

The question I asked at the end of Sunday’s message was, “Do you view yourself the same way?”

If you answered yes, then good for you.

But I’m willing to bet that the majority of us said, “well, sort of”, “sometimes”,” well, maybe”, or, “not really.”

So what I ask you, and me at times, is “why not?”

What is preventing us from seeing ourselves in this manner and then living accordingly?

Well I have 2 thoughts.

Thought #1 For some of us the “truth” as Paul says, is stuck in our heads, it hasn’t made its way down to our hearts, where action comes from, our knowledge of the truth hasn’t transformed our hearts and changed our behaviors. The truth about who we are, who’s we are, what are real purpose in this world is, and seeing the people that God has put around us to influence for the kingdom.

Thought #2 For some of us, we don’t have a strong convicting belief in eternal life, what awaits the believer in Jesus, and what awaits the non-believer. When we know the truth in regards to this, it builds hope-filled expectancy, a confident assurance that the God of the Universe has heaven awaiting us, eternity in His presence, and it’s going to be amazing. On the flip side, eternal separation from God is what awaits the non-believer and all the horror and misery that come with that separation.

I’ll close with this.

We may look at Paul and put him on another level, one of super apostle, but in reality he was just a man chosen by God, a man sent by God, and a man given a message about God, about Jesus, and if we know the Gospel, then so are we.

Let me pray

Father- help me to really know the truth, to see myself as Paul saw himself so that this truth transforms my heart and changes my behaviors, and then Lord I ask, help me to live a life on mission, sharing this Gospel message with all those that you’ve put in my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen