As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching. Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience.
Titus 2:1-2
Dear God, it is interesting that this passage came up today on Bible Gateway’s verse of the day because I’ve spent part of the morning listening to a podcast that talked about the Texas state legislature and how they think they have been acting wisely in some of the laws they passed in the last session, but they could possibly have done more harm that good in terms of long-term conservative strategies.
For example, they quoted a Wall Street Journal editorial board piece (which would represent conservative opinions) about the new Texas abortion law. The piece said that the Texas legislature’s immediate success with the SCOTUS, which will likely be short-lived until there is a proper lawsuit challenge that they will decide, opens up a bit of a Pandora’s box for liberal issues. For example, can New York enable people to sue other citizens for owning a gun? On a personal level, even as a pro-life person, I’ve already found myself feeling uneasy about how the legislature has gone about this. It does not feel like they are acting wisely.
Which brings me to a point that I’ve been driving home for several months now, but the thread seems to explain a lot of behavior of Christians that befuddles me. There is a difference between being a Christ believer and a Christ follower. How many of the people who wrote and voted for these laws are people who spend time pursuing you and following you, and how many simply believe you exist and then use you to justify their own agendas? I would posit that a good majority of those who voted for these laws are believers but not followers.
Of course, now it’s time to take the finger I’m pointing at them and look at the three fingers in my hand that are pointing back at me. Am I wise? Am I foolish? Am I naive? Am I patient? Am I willing to make space to listen to you? Am I a true follower of you, or do I just use you to justify my personal dogma? Of course, I would like to think of myself as a follower and not just a believer. I would like to think of myself as wise. I try to make moments like this to listen to you, but probably not enough. I know I am be impatient. I am certainly naive, although that can actually be a good thing in that having too much guile and understanding of others who use guile would probably send me down a rabbit hole that isn’t healthy for me. Still, it is good to be well-read and try to understand issues.
Father, help me to start with just being your follower and then let the fruit from your Spirit grow from there. Fill me with love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, kindness, and self control. Help me to use those fruits to develop my thoughts and how I interact with the world around me. Make me an instrument of your peace. When people look at me I want them to see you inside of me.
In Jesus’s name I pray,
Amen