Opening Prayer

Mighty God, your Word offers me all that I need to live in ways pleasing to you. Help me to understand and apply its truths.

Read TITUS 1:10–16

Rebuking Those Who Fail to Do Good

¹⁰ For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group. ¹¹ They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. ¹² One of Crete’s own prophets has said it: “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.”^[a] 13 This saying is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith ¹⁴ and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the merely human commands of those who reject the truth. ¹⁵ To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. ¹⁶ They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

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Footnotes

1. Titus 1:12 From the Cretan philosopher Epimenides

New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Meditate

Considering the cacophony of voices in today’s world, where do you hear the Holy Spirit speak to you? Listen with ears to hear as he speaks to you through today’s passage.

Think Further

In today’s passage we discover various problems that Paul wanted to address in the church in Crete. We may not know the exact details, but there are some general themes that still resonate today. In particular, we are reminded that we need to be careful whom we allow to speak into our lives. Not every voice is helpful, and being able to discern between myriad voices may be challenging. Not only were there heretical teachings, but people were saying that they followed Christ, while not Living that way.

Technology has enabled the world to be a smaller place. I can contact friends in far-flung countries with a few taps on my phone. Missionaries used to travel for months to reach their destination, but now the miles can be covered in hours and days. Sermons can be streamed from a different continent into our homes. Technology has brought many benefits. At the same time, however, we can be bombarded by media stories, images, sounds, and voices that we can struggle to filter. When we are faced with so much noise, there is a danger that false gospels and subtle heresies can creep in more easily than obvious atheist messages.

Titus was being warned to protect the message of the gospel. He, along with other believers, needed to be discerning. We, too, need to ensure that what we give an ear to is beneficial to our faith. Likewise, we should consider what we say and why we say it. The good news is that God knows our motives. When we truly want to live for God, then, ‘To the pure, all things are pure’ (v. 15). Let’s keep the main thing the main thing—and love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.1

Apply

Consider how you are influencing others: would Paul (or God) commend you? What can you do today to help others find a God-filter for the voices they listen to?

Closing prayer

Repeat these words: ‘I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High’ (see Psalm 9:1, 2).

Last Updated on March 7, 2024 by kingstar

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