Titus 1:5-9

Titus 1:5-9 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless — not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

All who are IN CHRIST JESUS are blameless, for the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us of all sin; however, our lifestyles, attitudes, and choices can be criticized by others if they are inappropriate, impure, unwholesome. Before God we are blameless because of Christ's work, but before man we can be blamed by others if our lives do not represent his purity, his faultlessness. If our mouths say one thing and we do another, we are hypocrites. Whether we are leaders or not, we should live lives that are virtuous because we represent the body of Christ. We are his ambassadors. In the above passage, Paul tells Titus that overseers especially must live exemplary lives, for they are high-profile representatives of the church. Their daily lives should not be overbearing, quick-tempered, given to drunkenness, violent, seeking dishonest gain. If they fail to live good, righteous lives, they will cause Christianity to be discounted by many, for in any community there are muckrakers who will make sure the failings of Christian leaders are known by all. Leaders in the church must not bring a reproach on the "Good News"; rather, the goodness of their lives and their positive attributes should facilitate the salvation message.

Our lives should represent Christ's life. If we fail in any area, we should avoid those things that tempt us. We should be lights, not darkness. If you fail to represent Christ before the community or your family, you should not tolerate such weakness but bring it to the Lord. Sometimes we allow things to exist in our lives that should not be there. I just read a book that says our response of anger is physiologically dissipated within 90 seconds. After that 90 seconds, we decide whether we still want to be angry or have a temper fit. It is not genetic then, it is us. Isn't that interesting? We tend to blame Grandma or Grandpa for our reactions, but I believe we need to address the situation in us. Yes, the physical body does react to situations that cause anger, but this reaction quickly subsides, and then it is all up to us after that first 90 seconds, and our relatives have little to do with that except that we are making the same wrong choices that they did. We can decide if we want to carry on with this anger or we can let go of it. It is also interesting that in the above passage, Paul says leaders should not be quick-tempered; he is saying leaders should be in control of their reactions, their emotions. With God's help, we can reprogram our minds, but if we desire to hang onto Grandma's supposed "DNA," we can do that too.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we should train ourselves to be hospitable, lovers of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. I believe this is exactly what the Holy Spirit wants to do and attempts to do in our lives. He has come to show us God's traits, not man's traits. God is timeless, at peace with himself, and eternally loving. We should see ourselves as timeless, loving, at peace with the world and ourselves. If we don't, if we have a troubled mind and far too often an angry response to our circumstances, we need to seek those things that are good, positive, and wholesome. We need to seek the Lord and his goodness. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Philippians 4:8)