"Remind people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men." -Titus 3:1-2
"Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives."- Titus 3:14
Wow! What a list! Those are not easy commands. Do you live up to that list? I know I am not even close to being godly by that definition. Obedient...ready...considerate...humble...I have a lot of work to do. I've been looking recently at the difference between being a "believer" versus being a "disciple" and this came up in my Bible study today. I got a good answer on the definitions today: a believer is some one with faith while a disciple is about action, specifically trying to live as the Bible says. This is not an easy task. I learned to obey in the military but I usually got the task done my way, not always the instructed way. Complete obedience to some one who I can't see face to face is a hard concept for me to understand, and that is only one of the concepts in this verse! That is asking a lot but in verse 14 Paul explains that all of those qualities are used to make us productive. God wants us to be happy and to feel productive. When they get close to death many people start to think about their lives and wonder how they will be remembered. Imagine how you will feel knowing that you have been productive in spreading God's word. You could create a life changing program or product but that will eventually be replaced as technology improves. The faith you can help spread will last eternally.
This blog post has gotten me thinking about a prayer I used to say in Lutheran Girl Pioneers growing up:
Jesus, help our eyes to see
Our salvation earned by Thee.
Jesus, help our ears to hear
Calls for help from far and near.
Jesus, help our feet to go
In the way that Thou wilt show.
Jesus, help our hands to do
All things loving, kind and true.
Jesus, may we helpful be,
Growing every day like Thee.
Amen.
(http://www.ourredeemermadison.org/site/dbpage.asp?page_id=140003116&sec_id=140001199)
Here is another song from my childhood. "Kumbayah" (which I always thought actually was foreign but this website says it is merely a strong dialect of English) is a plea for God to be near us.
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