Titus 3:1-5

Titus 3:1-5 Remind the 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. At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.

Remind the 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. As I watch Christians on television display their fierce anger and frustration against the government, I wonder if any of them are reading their Bibles. When I see couples screaming and yelling at each other with their children looking on, I wonder if they are keeping up on their spiritual lives. Yes, we all are human, and I, too, get angry and frustrated over certain things and views, but we should remind ourselves to be under control; we should be temperate, long suffering, kind, generous, and caring, expressing love in everything we do. Why, because at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. We should remember how we once lived in darkness, caught up in our passions, without any hope of eternal life--lost without God. We should remember how negativity and self-preservation ruled our minds. We should remember how futile and aimless our lives were outside of Christ.

If we go back to the beggarly elements of a self-centered life, picking up the crumbs off the floor of this worldly existence, we will reap what we sow. If we sow discord and violence, we will reap both. If we sow negativity and anger, we and our children will reap this kind of spirit in abundance. If we move away from God's love for others, we will be left stewing in hatred and selfishness. THE BIBLE IS TRUE. GOD IS LOVE. Whoever lives in love lives in God. (John 4:16) The antithesis to this axiom is true also: Whoever lives in discord and hate does not live in God and does not express God's nature. I cringe when I hear people in townhall meetings stand before the microphone and preface their statements with, "I am a Christian," and then go on with a malicious character assassination of the congressman or the senator present with great anger in their voices. This kind of behavior does not lift up Jesus or honor his name, neither does it promote truth or the gospel of Christ. But it does play to the raw human emotions of rage and bitterness.

When I was in college, I would many times come up against professors who, when learning I was a Christian, would accuse me of burning witches at the stake, putting a sword to the Moslems, and torturing the heretics. Sadly, these actions are in the history of the "church." I would always try to counter with the idea that this kind of activity was not the product of the "true church," the body of Christ, which in most of history was a hidden church, not the manifested one. Of course, they could not understand that. To the world, we Christians were the lions not the lambs; we were the killers, not the bearers of peace. Today, if we don't watch out, we will be just another political movement. We will be the bearers of negativity, anger, criticism, bulging necks, self-centeredness, and lust for self-preservation. Is that who we are? Is this life so dear to us Christians that we cannot bear the fruit of the Spirit to the world? The fruit of the Spirit is the NATURE OF GOD: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatian 5:22-23)

Whose nature are we displaying when we are in front of people? We better be careful when we speak for God. Did Christ rail against the unjust and cruel Roman empire? No, He did not. Should we hate sin? Yes, but we should first hate it in ourselves. First, we should not let the spirit of the flesh take over our mouths. First, we should not let anger and bitterness inhabit our bones. We should judge ourselves first before we ever attempt to judge others. We must display love; we must function with the joy of the Lord in our spirits. And we must not count this world as our place of abiding or as our children's abiding place. We are but passing through. Yes, we can get involved politically if we desire, we can get involved with the things of this world if we dare, but we should do it with love and compassion, with an understanding that the lost do not have the light of the gospel permeating their souls as we do. And for sure, we should not stray from the fruit of the Spirit. If we do, beware, for we are out of order because God's will should always be done on Earth as it is in heaven. Brothers and sisters, remember, when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. Therefore, always try to display that same kind of mercy, kindness, and love to others so they might know the God of our salvation.