1 Dec (Titus)

Along with the two epistles Paul sent to Timothy, this is the third letter called the Pastoral Epistles. Paul wrote them while in prison, and with the purpose of getting the churches organized and focused on the Gospel. We can deduce that Paul knew he was going to die for Christ soon.

Titus 1

(v.2) This is a fun game to play with your kids...ask them, since God can do everything, what is the one thing He can't do? The answer is that God can't lie...He is holy and pure, and without sin.

(v.11) Satan had been trying to kill the Messiah and the ancestors of the Messiah ever since it was proclaimed to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David. That didn't work, so when Satan lost at the cross of Calvary, he infiltrated the Church. He already had infiltrated the Jews, with their obsession with rules instead of faith, and now he was doing what he did in the Garden of Eden with Eve...casting doubt and changing God's Word.

We see this today with all the cults that have changed God's Word, and are following a different version of the Gospel.

(v.13) Notice what Paul is doing here...he doesn't rebuke the people, but the leaders who are misleading them. Jesus did the same. We are to rebuke the teachings of the cults, and pray and witness to the people who follow them.

(v.16) This verse always makes me take stock of my own life...am I just a man who professes Christ as my LORD? Or am I living and walking with God? We all need to ask ourselves those questions and seek His guidance.

Titus 2

(v.5) Modern-day liberalism and many secular action groups hate this verse! Our family structure was established by God in Genesis. The man is to be the head, but to give up his fleshly desires of individualism, and love and serve his wife. The wife is to let the man lead, and raise and nurture the children.

Some people don't like to hear or read this, but if all parties are doing their duties, then the family will stay together and serve God. If we fail to heed God's plan for the family, then we will see it suffer...we see that today.

(v.13) Great God and Savior...here is another instance of the deity of Jesus in the Bible! Not only is Jesus our Messiah, but He is God in the flesh!

Titus 3

(v.3) Once we are saved, and we see the love and grace of Christ, we are not to act proud or superior to people who don't know Christ. We are to pray for them, and seek to love and serve them...witnessing to them in action and words.

(v.8) We can't earn our salvation...it was done for us by God in Jesus. However, once we are saved, we should be eager to serve others. This comes from gratitude from knowing what we were saved from...eternal torment in hell.