Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Titus 3:1-2
Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good. They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarrelling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has 38 member countries and it regularly runs surveys to discover the level of trust that people have in their government. Overall, it has discovered that about 44% of people have little or no trust in their government. This result is not that surprising. People are endlessly critical of political leaders and deeply cynical about the whole political process. However, I am sure that the situation in Crete when Paul wrote to Titus was a great deal worse. And, to add to that, Cretans were notoriously turbulent and quarrelsome and were inclined to challenge every kind of authority. So Paul’s words would have come as a huge challenge to them.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul gave his fundamental reason for encouraging obedience to the government. He believed that their authority came from God and so rebelling against the government was, in fact, a form of rebellion against God Himself. Paul reasoned that the authorities struck fear in people who were doing wrong, not those who were doing right, and so the general public should have no reason to be afraid of them. Indeed, he argued that if the people did what was right then the authorities would honour them. The authorities were God’s servants and were sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do wrong. For all of these reasons Paul was convinced that Christians should live as good, responsible citizens and should pay their taxes willingly (see Romans 13:1-7).
These challenging words should cause us to reflect on our own relationship with the authorities in our society. Paul would certainly urge us to live as good citizens and to give thanks for those who give us security and an ordered society. I don’t believe that Paul was suggesting we should simply accept everything the government does. Rather, as good and responsible citizens, we should find ways to encourage and support those who bear such heavy responsibilities.
Question
In what ways should we show our support for our government?
Prayer
Father God, I pray for those who govern our country. Grant them Your wisdom and peace, and help me always to serve You well as a citizen. Amen

Titus 2:9-10
Slaves must always obey their masters and do their best to please them. They must not talk back or steal, but must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy and good. Then they will make the teaching about God our Saviour attractive in every way.
The idea of slavery is so appalling that it is hard for us to imagine what it would be like to live in a world where it was normal. However, this was clearly the case in the Roman empire. It was simply an accepted part of everyday life and at no point do we hear about anyone in the Bible attempting to dismantle or even challenge the system of slavery. Paul’s concern was that Christian slaves should live in a way that commended the good news. Most slave masters would have known nothing of the Christian faith and so the best opportunity for them to learn about it would be through their slaves. Good conduct and reliability would convey an important message to the slaves’ masters, and show the attractiveness of the gospel.
Paul’s advice is no less relevant today in the world of employment. Most people, and therefore most employers, do not attend church so have little or no idea about the Christian message. Therefore, the most effective way of communicating with them is through the lives of Christians who work with them. In the workplace, there are constant pressures and challenges and the way in which Christians handle them will communicate more than any sermon. When everyone is stressed and tempers get frayed, the patience, grace and peace of a Christian worker can be incredibly powerful.

If the workplace is where many people will get their best opportunity to see Christianity in action, we need to give strong support to one another as we go to work. It won’t always be easy to live for Christ in organisations which are often focused on making a profit. But if that is where God has called people to serve Him, church leaders need to make sure that sermons and services equip people to live out their faith at work. And we all need to encourage one another, so that we will live up to the high standards Paul expected of slaves so long ago.
Questions
In what ways could we do more to encourage people to live out their Christian values at work?
Prayer
Loving God, help me always to give my best in everything I do, so that other people may be drawn towards You. Amen

Titus 2:1
As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching.
Paul’s letters are incredibly down to earth. He was very concerned to ensure that everyone understood the basic elements of Christian doctrine. They needed to know who God is and why He sent Jesus into the world to save us from our sins. But he knew that Christian teaching also needed to be turned into action. In this fascinating chapter, Paul guides his young friend Titus in the way in which he should teach and guide the church members. His guidance was coloured by gender and age in a very interesting way.
The older men needed to live wisely and carefully, to have sound faith and to be full of love and patience (v2). The older women were told not to slander other people or be heavy drinkers and were encouraged to train the younger women to love their husbands and their children (vv3-4). Young men were also encouraged to live wisely (v6). Alongside all this, Paul urged Titus to be an example “by doing good works of every kind” (v7). Titus had his work cut out!
Paul’s teaching challenges us to reflect on what it means to serve God in terms of our age and circumstances. We are, of course, all called to be loving, wise, patient and faithful, but that will demand different things of us depending on our circumstances. Christian leaders need to reflect carefully on the teaching that they give, working out what its implications will be for the range of people in their congregations. Living for Christ will mean very different things for teenagers, parents, middle-aged people, old people, the sick, the employed, the unemployed and the retired.
Thoughtful, practical teaching will always need to sit alongside the personal example of the church leader. Paul described Titus as his true son and we may presume that Titus was younger than many of the people in the Cretan churches. But everyone was looking to him, so he needed to ensure that he was walking closely to the Lord and setting a really good example.
Question
What advice do you think needs to be given to people of your own age?
Prayer
Lord God, help me to apply my Christian faith to the way in which I live for You today. Amen

Titus 1:15
Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted.
These words may well feel familiar. They closely echo the words of Jesus when he said that: “a good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart” (Luke 6:45). Paul’s particular challenge in Crete came from those who were insisting that all Christian men should be circumcised. This teaching was proving extremely destructive and was driving whole families away from the church. Paul was convinced that the only reason they were teaching this was to make money. He quoted a Cretan prophet who had said that: “The people of Crete are all liars, cruel animals and lazy gluttons” (Titus 1:12). This sounds incredibly harsh, but clearly Paul was desperate to protect the young church from those who were bent on its destruction.
Paul was convinced that what mattered before anything was the purity of people’s hearts. If they got that right then everything that flowed from them would be good. That is something that King David had to learn. He had proved to be a good leader in so many ways, but when he saw Bathsheba and longed to sleep with her his moral compass suddenly deserted him. The problem with sins is that they don’t come singly. His adultery with Bathsheba led to a string of lies and eventually to the murder of her husband. Bad went to much worse, but that’s the nature of sin. After Nathan’s confrontation with him, David discovered that the only way back to God was by seeking His forgiveness. He needed a purity which only God could give him. In Psalm 51 he cried out: “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt, purify me from my sin” (Psalm 51:1-2). The result was that he got his joy back and was able to serve God with a clear conscience.
There is nothing in life that is more important than maintaining a pure heart and every single day we need to seek God’s forgiveness, renewal and strength.
Question
In what ways do you need to seek God’s forgiveness today?
Prayer
Lord God, thank You that You understand me completely and are able to purify me. Here and now, I confess my sins to You and seek Your forgiveness. Amen

Titus 1:5-6
I left you on the island of Crete so you could complete our work there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you. An elder must live a blameless life.
Crete had many cities. Homer, the Greek poet, described the island as “Crete of the hundred cities.” The apostle Paul was clearly concerned that each community of Christian believers should have leadership and he trusted his friend Titus to get on with the job of appointing elders. He described these elders in many ways but, above all, it was the quality of their life that mattered. They needed to be blameless. That doesn’t mean that he was looking for perfection but, clearly, he was keen that they should live exemplary lives. This would set a high standard for the churches as they encountered continual challenges. A key part of this was the way in which the elder looked after his own family. How could an elder possibly lead God’s household if he couldn’t take care of his own?
When we appoint leaders, it is easy to be unduly impressed by their qualifications. Academic degrees are definitely important but they cannot take the place of character. Someone with a string of degrees and good communication skills would not make a good Christian leader if they were arrogant, uncaring or ill-disciplined. Different church streams have a wide range of ways of making appointments, but they all need our prayers and support as they try to find appropriate people.
Paul made it clear at the beginning of all his letters that he was appointed by God. Being a Christian leader wasn’t his own bright idea but God’s. Here, he was clearly urging Titus to make appointments on the same basis. Titus needed to seek out those whom God had already called and to set them aside for the awesome privilege of leading the church. Nothing has changed – that is still our responsibility today.
Question
What do you think are the most important character traits for a Christian leader?
Prayer
Loving God, thank You for those who are responsible for selecting Christian leaders. Please fill them with Your Holy Spirit and enable them to make decisions that will build Your Church. Amen