A GREAT REMINDER
Titus 3:1-3 NKJV
1 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. 3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.
These verses have been a great reminder to me over the years. I remember when the Lord first called them to my attention. I was angry at my father and was judging his Christian maturity. These verses caught me flush. And I refer back to them on a regular basis.
The first verse is a reminder to work with authority, whether that is governmental or spiritual. I honestly did not have as much of a challenge working under authority, especially after coming back to the Lord. It was the next verse that I would often trip over.
To speak evil of no one. That one phrase stood out to me. I used to speak evil of everyone. Then I limited my speaking evil to those who caused me pain. I am not perfect but have come a long way from speaking evil of people. And in our American political environment, to speak evil of no one is almost unheard of. It seems as if everyone speaks evil of everyone, particularly those who disagree with them politically. I was working with a group of politically active believers before starting The Ark. And I had fallen into the habit of blasting the President of the United States. Until the Lord pulled me up short with this verse. How much progress do you think we could make in the church of Jesus Christ in America if we would stop speaking evil of those who hold a different viewpoint? I did not say we agree, but what if we stopped speaking unkind words? What if we were peaceable, gentle, and showed all humility to all men?
Now you may be reading or listening to this and immediately think, "Why would I want to do that? Do you even know what those 'fill in the blank group or groups' are doing?” Actually, yes, I do. Simply because I don't rant doesn't mean I don't know. And because I do not choose to speak evil does not mean that I agree. But here is the scriptural kicker. Here is the reason we should show all humility to all men.
"For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another." This is the verse that pulled me up short with my father, and later pulled me up short again about the President that I did not agree with. I was once foolish, disobedient, and deceived. I was once the guy who was unkind to others, living only to please myself. I was once envious and even hateful toward other people. I was once that guy. And if it wasn't for the grace, goodness, and love of God, I would still be that guy. If it wasn't for Jesus paying the price for my sins and changing my nature, I would still be in the dark spiritually. If it wasn't for God giving me His Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, I would still be deceived. We can see what Paul is saying to Titus. If it wasn't for the Lord, we would be in a bad state.
This is why we can show humility, because we were once in trouble spiritually. We are not superior people; we are grateful people who have received grace and a love that we did not earn or deserve. God was merciful to us; we can be merciful to others. We were once in the dark; now we shine the light that we received.
I do believe it is important that the church becomes a beacon of light in a dark world. This is what we are called to. And as we speak evil of no one, as we live peaceably, gently, and humbly, our light shines so much brighter.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to remember where I was before Your grace. And help me to be a light to those who sit in darkness.