To Encourage You

Titus 3:1-2 “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.”

I can recall the moment so very well. It was an evening many years ago. I was alone at home and had taken the occasion in the quietness to spend some time in Bible study and prayer. It was a precious time, as such moments often are. I was feeling so spiritual and wonderful. But then my family came in the door and someone said something to me.  I don’t remember which one said it or even what they said, but what I do recall was how quickly my “spirituality” seemed to evaporate. I remember my sudden change in attitude, and it wasn’t a good change.

You see, the condition of our faith will be played out in our relationships with other people. While time alone with God is important and necessary to spiritual growth, where the rubber meets the road is in our relationships. Thus, Paul’s admonition to Titus in the verses above about what a focus of his teaching was to consist of. Notice how every one of the admonitions he gave dealt with relationships. Submission to authorities and obedience to the law of the land are God’s will for how we interact with those authorities. We are to be ready for every good work, i.e., works that bless other people in our lives. Our words are to bless others as opposed to speaking evil of them as we talk about them and quarreling as we speak to them. We are to be courteous rather than inconsiderate and rude and we are to treat one another with gentleness rather than harshness.

I’m reminded of Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan. It was the “religious” people, first a priest and then a Levite, that avoided the man in need. By contrast, it was the Samaritan, whose religion and very existence both the priest and the Levite despised, who demonstrated love to the one beaten by thieves.

So how are you doing? Is your “religion” the same within the doors of the church as it is within the doors of your own home? How are your relationships going? Are they a reflection of Paul’s words above, which are an expression of God’s will for us, or are they something else? If others we know were asked to describe us, would it be in the words Paul spoke to Titus, or would they say those words had very little resemblance to us? As I was made so very aware that time my wonderful piety evaporated five seconds after the family I say I love walked in on my devotions those years ago, it is in relationships that the reality of our faith will be demonstrated. It’s in what goes on in our lives before and after we enter the church doors that shows the true condition of our spiritual maturity.