October 14, 2022

Passage Read: Titus 1-2
Meditation Verse: 2:15

Thought

Wow! "Let no one despise you." Paul gives Titus the command to teach and exhort and convict with all authority the things he had just told him. He is supposed to find men who are submissive to the Word and not quarrelsome, and he's supposed to teach the same, without letting anyone despise him. What happens if people do ignore him? What should he do? You can't force people to obey who refuse to obey, Paul knew that. Yet he commanded Titus to teach the things he had just written with all confidence and authority. Believers should live discreetly, righteously and with all godliness in his day, and certainly also in ours. We have drifted so far from these things!

Application

Any time I teach the Bible I should be able to do so with great confidence, but I don't have confidence in my own ability to understand and apply the Word correctly to my life or to others'. It seems like such a dangerous thing to do. As soon as I say one thing, someone will find a way to question my understanding. What then? How can I teach with such complete confidence and authority, that I should allow no one to despise me? I suppose the best way I have is to make sure I'm applying all diligence to my own life, working hard to obey these things myself. Then those who want to question my understanding can't argue with my example. Well, they might call me an idiot for applying God's Word in that way to my life, but they can't call me a hypocrite.