Read: Titus 2:11-15
He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds (v.14).
Andy Searles, a pastor and sports chaplain, recently gave a group of friends and me some wise food for thought. He said, “In our interactions we are always promoting or reflecting something—perhaps our values, our past, our hopes or even ourselves. One of the primary purposes for those who claim to follow Jesus is to ‘promote’ and ‘reflect’ that which is ‘wholesome’ (Titus 2:1). We promote the love of God found in Jesus Christ and we reflect by letting this love shine through us into a dark world.”
Andy then asked us, “What is your life promoting? What is it reflecting?”
As I mulled over Andy’s pointed application of Titus 2, I considered how my life promotes “the grace of God” that has been “revealed”, and how it reflects the “salvation” Jesus brings “to all people” (v.11). By His power, am I living out the grace, forgiveness and healing He provides? Or am I instead bound by the thoughts of past sin and overpowered by emotional wounds?
Paul instructs us to “turn from godless living” (v.12). This doesn’t mean only turning from a sinful lifestyle that doesn’t reflect Christ. Living “godless” also means living as if our sin—rather than Jesus’ salvation—truly defines us. Because He “gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds” (v.14).
As believers in Christ, we have the honour of demonstrating that we’ve been saved by God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8). By His power we can “live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness and devotion to God” (Titus 2:12).
Instead of clinging to the past, we can look forward with hope to all that our great God has in store for us (v.13).
—Roxanne Robbins
More
What, according to Hebrews 9:14, makes it possible for us—despite our past sin—to reflect the living God?
NEXT
How are you promoting the gospel and its work in you? Are you ever tempted to hold back your witness because of past sin or believing people will disregard what you have to say?
.
