“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:11-14 NKJV)
Throughout this month we have studied Titus 2:11-14 and learned:
- To be watchful of how we use our time each day (and aware of the habits already formed in our lives) to make sure we are being wise (Ephesians 5:15-17) and properly denying ungodliness and worldly lusts (v12), leaving no place for the devil to get a foothold (Ephesians 4:27).
- The importance of replacing all bad habits with good ones and how God prepares us for exactly that by telling us what we need to put off/flee and what we need to then put on/pursue, so we can live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age (v12).
Now, as we
finish our study of this passage, we will see the value of having a proper focal
point and the truth we can think on so we can remove bad decisions before they
become habits and learn to become zealous for good works (v14).
What to Focus on Each Day
“…the grace of God
that brings salvation…” (v11) Only by God’s grace can
we be saved (Ephesians 2:1-9), we
could not, cannot save ourselves from sin, but God loved us and sent His Son to
be the atonement for our sins (1 John 4:9-10,
John 3:16-21). Jesus gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless
deed – how could we so belittle His
sacrifice by returning to lawlessness? God’s grace frees us from the bonds
of sin; we need to realize the magnitude of His gift and be vigilant in our effort
to keep ourselves from sin and sinful habits (Romans 6, 1 John 1:7-10). God has helped us in this by preparing
good works for us to walk in (develop as
daily habits, Ephesians 2:10). Jesus gave Himself so that we would be
purified from sin and become zealous for good works (v14). We need to think on God’s grace and Jesus’ sacrifice each day
with sincere, unwavering focus and appreciation so our zeal for doing good
works can develop and flourish (consider
Galatians 6:9-10, Titus 3:8, 14).
“…looking for the
blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ…”
(v13) Reminding ourselves that this life
is temporary (James 4:14) will help
us to make the best use of Today. We are not guaranteed tomorrow (James 4:15-17), but as children of God
we have hope of life beyond this life (Titus
1:1-2, 1 John 3:1-3). When we keep our focus on things above (Colossians 3:1-2) we will walk in love,
in light, and in wisdom (Ephesians 5:1-17);
we will do our utmost to abide in Jesus and practice righteousness (make it a daily habit) so that when He
appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed at His coming (1 John 2:28, 1 Timothy 2:15).
Please read
and reread Titus 2:11-14 and if you have time please add the epistle of 1 John
to your reading schedule – it fortifies the points in this week’s lesson, as
John reminds his readers of all that they can be assured of so that they remain
faithful throughout their lives.
Take time
today to think on God’s grace that provides you with hope beyond this life.
Recall it to your mind each morning as you open your eyes to a new day; think
of it each night before you close your eyes, and be thankful (Psalms 92:1-12). Remain diligent in
removing bad habits and deliberate in your desire to develop good ones; focus
your mind on the freedom God has granted you by His grace to do beautiful,
blessing-filled works (Galatians 5:22-23,
“Against such there is no law”) and let your love and appreciation for Him
be made evident in your zeal for doing what is right and good!
You can do it! So can I!!
