Morning Musings-Before and After Shots

   Morning Musings with the boys at breakfast...






"Come on, Paul!  You're stating the obvious, again!  Do you have to repeat yourself so much?!"

I believe he did.  Paul continues to give very practical advice here in Titus chapter 3.  He leaves nothing to chance; thus the repetition.  If in time, my sons, you guys become leaders among God's people remember this too.  People often need reminding and so Paul's list of Titus 3:1-2.

Paul gives Titus quite the BEFORE and AFTER pictures of the people of Crete.  He says their former, pre-child of God character, displayed:

  "being foolish, disobedient, lazy, liars and gluttonous; having envy and malice; being hated and hating one another; being enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures". 

 Not a pretty list.

The AFTER picture is a miracle of God's grace; the result of God's "kindness and love, and the Holy Spirit's renewal" and sanctification in action.  They were now "heirs of eternal life".  They were now working on being 

"temperate, worthy of respect; self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, in endurance" (Titus 2:2). 

 They were going to be more reverent, not slanderers, nor addicted to much wine; they would teach what is good (Titus 2:3-5).  They would show

 "integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech" (2:6-8).

They were to avoid controversies, arguments, quarrels.  They were not to be divisive.  In our day, we too have to be very wary of these.  Those engaged in this must be warned twice and if they don't take heed then the rest of the brothers and sisters were to "have nothing to do with them" (vs 9-11).

These children of God whom Titus was working with had gotten "rebirth"* in Christ (3:5, 6).  They were now being taught to devote themselves to doing good.  They would be "peaceable & considerate and show true humility toward all men".  Isn't this an amazing picture!?  They would now lead excellent, profitable and productive lives to provide for daily necessities.

Of course, the years of "before" habits may have taken time to develop and be ingrained and now a lot of effort needed to be applied to school themselves in self-control, prayer and reminding, to break the undesirable, ungodly ways.  However, slowly but surely the "after",  those good and excellent habits of God's standards, would manifest in the lives of these Cretan believers as they obeyed and followed God's will and ways.  They would become the salt and light to their generation and the next, the Lord God helping them.

Let us be reminded...we too need to look to our ways and have God as our Resource.  We need to live for His glory and honor, and be salt and light in our generation.  Repeat yourself if you have too.

And, as Paul finished off his letter, "Grace be with you all."  Amen.

                                                             ~ERC  2016~

*Please take note that "rebirth" here means salvation through acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior.  Not to be mistaken with the Buddhist idea of rebirth.