Today’s Podcast
Today’s Scriptures
Today’s Bible reading plans include:
Ready – Titus 2
Set – Psalms 104; Titus 2
Go! – Amos 7–9; Psalms 104; Titus 2
Titus 2
1 As to you, Titus: talk to them; give them a good, healthy diet of solid teaching so they will know the right way to live.
2 Here’s what I want you to teach the older men: enjoy everything in moderation, respect yourselves and others, be sensible, and dedicate yourselves to living an unbroken faith demonstrated by your love and perseverance.
3 And here’s what I want you to teach the older women: Be respectful. Steer clear of gossip or drinking too much so that you can teach what is good 4 to young women. Be a positive example, showing them what it is to love their husbands and children, and teaching them to 5 control themselves in every way and to be pure. Train them to manage the household, to be kind, and to be submissive to their husbands, all of which honor the word of God.
6 Encourage the young men in the same way: in every situation, they should learn to control themselves.
7-8 Titus, you have to set a good example for everyone. Go out of your way to do what is right, speak the truth with the weight and authority that come from an honest and pure life. No one can argue with that. Then your enemies will cower in shame because they have nothing bad to say against us.
9 Advise all the servants: Work hard for your masters, and be loyal to them. Strive to please. Don’t be rude or sarcastic. 10 Don’t steal or embezzle your masters’ property. Show them you are trustworthy, and all the credit will go to the teaching of God our Savior.
11 We have cause to celebrate because the grace of God has appeared, offering the gift of salvation to all people. 12 Grace arrives with its own instruction: run away from anything that leads us away from God; abandon the lusts and passions of this world; live life now in this age with awareness and self-control, doing the right thing and keeping yourselves holy. 13 Watch for His return; expect the blessed hope we all will share when our great God and Savior, Jesus the Anointed, appears again. 14 He gave His body for our sakes and will not only break us free from the chains of wickedness, but He will also prepare a community uncorrupted by the world that He would call His own—people who are passionate about doing the right thing.
15 So, Titus, tell them all these things. Encourage and teach them with all authority—and rebuke them with the same. You are a man called to serve, so don’t let anyone belittle you.
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
Have you ever thought about what you should share with those around you? Too often you just assume your children and those around you at work, church or your neighbors will just pick up your habits and learn what you want them to learn. Unfortunately, life doesn’t work that way. You need to be a little more deliberate in your approach to teaching what you want those you care for to learn.
If you look at the advertising around you, you’ll find the world is pretty good at teaching impressionable young minds what it wants to teach. For instance, regardless of the known dangers of tobacco use, teenagers and young adults continue to pick up the habit and tobacco products still rake in almost half a trillion dollars in sales each year.
You see the tobacco advertisers teach children it’s cool to smoke or dip, and they teach them well. They are deliberate in the way they distribute their information and hide the truth about the damage that comes from their products. And so young people decide the teaching by the cancer societies won’t happen to them. The sales of products climb. And profits continue to grow.
The same can be said of alcohol, drugs, both legal and illegal, many of the foods you eat that you know don’t provide good nutritious value for you. But the teach of the advertisers help you decide the diseases won’t happen to you and so you partake. Adam and Eve did the same thing in the Garden of Eden with Satan’s advertisements about the forbidden fruit. Then it was too late for them.
So what do you want your children to learn? If you teach a Sunday School class, what do you want your students to learn? What do you want your neighbors to understand about you or about Me? What lessons do you want your co-workers to learn about spiritual things?
Remember, My command to you was to go and make disciples … in all the world. To meet the requirement I gave you requires deliberate action on your part. Perhaps it’s time to sit down and decide what you want others to see in you that you want them to know and learn. What habits do you have that you want your children and grandchildren to adopt? What do you want them to see and do? Can you respond like Paul, “Whatever you have seen me say or do, you do the same and you’ll find Christ.”?
Only deliberate action will overcome the plan Satan has in place to deceive those around you he wants to snatch from My kingdom. And perhaps only you can reach some of those with whom you interact each day. So what will you show them? What will you share with them? What will you teach them so they will know Me?
Paul gave Titus some clear instructions that I want to make sure you know fit you as well. “Talk to them; give them a good, healthy diet of solid teaching so they will know the right way to live.” Do this and you will fulfill My desire for you to make disciples in the world where you live.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.