Bible Commentary & Daily Devotional

  Titus 2 - The Old Guys I wish I could say it gets easier the older you get, but I don’t think that’s quite right.  We had an 84-year-old widower in our small group, Wally, who we dearly loved.  He passed away suddenly last year from a stroke.  He was transparent with us as to how hard the sin battle was even at his age.  He faced a daily battle.  I’m thankful for Wally’s honesty with our Bible fellowship group.  I wish I would have told him that more often.  He was always sure to tell us how much he appreciated and loved all of us.  Oh, this life is short.  We are fragile yet stubborn jars of clay. We must change our ways.  I want a growth and learning mindset.  The reality is that it is hard to live it out.  I know very well what the Bible says.  There is a principle sewn throughout Scripture that says that if we don’t grow and obey God we can expect disaster.  God gives his people ample opportunity to turn from evil and to obey His word (Jeremiah 26:4).  Not a feel-good message

 Titus 1 - A Child of God Just as we love our children God loves His children.  God’s love is perfect, deep, pure, and faithful.  God wants to spend time with His children every day. God’s Bible shows us how to live godly lives.  The Bible tells us we have eternal life (1:2).  Sometimes we get down.  We fail and falter.  We very much need to be reminded that each of us is a child of God.  God says, “My child, listen to what I say and treasure my commands” (Proverbs 2:1).  God loves you.  If you trust in Jesus as your Saviour, you are His dearly loved child (Romans 10:9). Now, if the atheist is right, then nothing really matters at the end of the day.  You just disappear.  Gone.  Dust.  Everything in this wonderful amazing world is all there is - enjoy it - for that’s it.  No new earth and new heaven.  No eternity.  To them, there is no truth.  There is no God.  There is no judgment day where they stand before Jesus. If I may, they are dead wrong.  They are deceived, trapped in

 Titus 1 - The Perfectionist The fixed mindset leader, the perfectionist, strives to take his fixed ability and perfect it.  You can spot them a mile away.  The smartest guy in the room.  The 55-year-old talking about his high school accolades or his score on the LSAT.  The guy who never ceases to brag about his stuff and his achievements.   As Collins and Dweck rightly characterize the Iacocca types: their mindset is that of a genius with a thousand helpers.           The fixed mindset perfectionist creates a toxic culture, one that is capable of taking great resources and squandering them.  He’s looking for acclaim, proof that he’s smarter, more capable, better endowed than others.  It's the opposite of good stewardship.           Motives matter.  Those striving to grow and to be good (good like Jesus) have a much different motive.  It matters how we live.  It matters now and it matters for eternity.           And it matters what we believe and how strongly we believe it.  Our

 Titus 1 - Leadership Priorities Good leadership is marked by what we do - and don’t do.  We see that principle of Christian leadership throughout Scripture.           The Holy Spirit-guided leader has God’s law written on his heart.  God never changes.  Jesus is God.  He is the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8 and 22:13), the beginning and the end.  Before the world began God planned for and promised eternal life to all who would have faith in His Son (1:2).  God’s amazing message, His Good News.  All time, from the beginning to today, is but a moment to God. To be a Christian leader requires that you know God’s message, trust His message, teach His message, and live to promote God’s message. We can look at God’s standards and commands in the OT to illuminate His teaching in the NT.  For example, we see God’s message to the king of Judah in Jeremiah 22.  God directed the prophet Jeremiah to send a message containing a conditional covenant to the king.  This is my paraphrase of Go

  Titus 1 - Self Evaluation Self-evaluation is a Christian principle; it’s a standard for Churchmen (Romans 12:3, Philippians 2:3, Romans 12:16, 1 Peter 5:5, James 4:6, James 1:26, etc.).  We’ll see that in this chapter. The best life is lived with God.  He shows us how to live godly lives, and He gives us joyful confidence in this life to come.  It takes work to appoint elders.  These are real supermen - shepherds, and servant leaders.  Dads, husbands, good sons, and brothers - proven disciples of Christ.           It takes a lifetime really; frankly, the standards are so high here it’s amazing if anyone is qualified.  Indeed, many in the modern church have proven by the way they live that they do not meet these standards of a churchman.   May we all, from a young age onward aspire to be approved by Jesus.  May He give us His grace and peace.  God requires churchmen to step up and lead.  You can’t have a healthy church without servant leaders and elders. But church, do you eve

  Titus 1 - Funerals and Leadership I am eager to get into Titus as it hits at the core of servant leadership characteristics.  But before we jump in, just a short comment today. Our 23-year-old son, Solomon, graduated with his undergrad in Psychology last December.  One of Sol's best friends from his Psych classes is a beautiful young woman named Jess, from Clinton, North Carolina.  Her family gave Sol a pup from their litter of lab/shepherds a few years back.  So I guess we are related through dogs.           Jess texted Solomon last Wednesday with the tragic news that her brother had just died in a car crash.  Jared was 24 years old. Kari, Sol, and I drove the four hours down to Clinton yesterday for Jared’s funeral.  There is nothing like a funeral for a reality check on the meaning of life (Ecclesiastes 7:2).  We didn’t know Jared.  But we wept through the entire service as pastors and family members shared joyful stories of his life, passions, talents, and dreams.   T

 2 Timothy 4 - A Clear Mind in Every Situation No one wants to be disrespected, abandoned, deserted, left out, ignored, or spoken to with contempt.  Yet, shockingly, that is how God’s people treated God.  They said to Him, “'Don’t waste your breath.  We will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly following our own evil desires'” (Jeremiah 18:12). Serious question.  Do our actions say the same thing today?  I sure hope not.  The church is God’s pride and joy and I am confident that the Kingdom of God is forcefully advancing across the globe today, giving honor to God’s name.  May God’s holy church be wholly devoted to our Saviour and our King.  Reliable, consistent, faithful. As Paul explains (4:3-4) don’t be surprised when people refuse to listen to sound and wholesome teaching.  Yes, it is frustrating.  And no, you are not insane.  People will indeed reject the truth and chase after myths as Paul says they will. We serve the One True God.  God is preparing for a vi