“Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful.” (Titus 3:14)

We must be in the habit of doing good deeds because there will come times in your life when the needs are pressing and urgent, and, in that moment, your training and habit must kick in.  There will be inflection points in your life when you must choose to abandon the frivolous and do the necessary.

Will you drop your nets and follow the Master?  Will you choose the good part instead of the distraction?  Will you stop your journey to help the wounded on the side of the road?  The Bible is full of examples of opportunities to do good which only came around once, and if they missed it, they missed it completely.

We must learn to engage with needs so that we don’t become disengaged from the Lord’s plan for our lives.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“…so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.” (Titus 2:4-5)

Do we still consider these words to be honorable ones?  The image painted by the apostle Paul of the godly woman, working at home, breathing love into hearth and home is considered antiquated and vulgar by today’s standards (even misogynstic), yet the picture Paul describes is the loving home that every child and family yearns for, and statistically, the model that has been most successful.

Society has discouraged young women from being workers at home.  The Holy Spirit says we should encourage them to be workers at home.  We must decide which camp we shall join.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.” (Titus 1:15)

The Jews had become so accustomed to fixation on ceremony and the avoidance of unclean foods that they missed some of the deeper lessons.  Food can never defile the soul of a man; in fact, nothing external can.  The defilement of someone must come from within.  It is only when the inner mind objectifies the opposite gender that lust is born, and it is only when the covetous heart springs up that another’s success turns into jealousy and rivalry.

Gluttony, greed, lies, and a thousand other evils spring up from the wellsprings of the human heart.  The battle isn’t without – it is within.  Once we subdue the inner man, the outer world cannot harm us, and we can find purity even in the darkest hours of our life.  Paul and Silas sang with reverence from a prison, and Herod mocked God from his palatial estate.  Give a godly soul any experience and they can make it pure… give a villain any setting and he can defile it.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:4)

            If we are to be sober in all things, it is best that we always consider the effects of any substance that is known to impair sobriety before consumption or usage.

            We have work to fulfill, and as Christians, we are always on duty.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy…” (2 Timothy 3:2)

            Paul warned Timothy that one of the signs of the deterioration of a society is that people will become lovers of self.  Interestingly enough, the modern mantra that you must “love yourself” has become so ubiquitous that it is generally acknowledged as a basic truth that we should, at all times, love ourselves.  Scriptures instead say the opposite.

            There are parts of myself I believe I should not love at all, and I suspect the same is true for you.  Some aspects of my character and my desires are entirely reprehensible and not deserving of love – in fact, they ought to be expunged completely.  To love myself as I am assumes that there is nothing about me that is anything less than perfect, and to say that is to call God a liar (see 1 John 1:8) and nullify the cross.

            There are parts of all of us which are so miserably unlovable and wretched that we should weep over them (see James 4:9).  To love myself is not the answer, nor is it the philosophy to live by.  I need saving.  I need Jesus (see Romans 7:24-25).

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 2:1)

            Timothy was a young man given immense responsibilities, and as Paul intimated in other places, Timothy seemed to struggle with the weight of his vocation and circumstances.  Timothy, at times, was timid and allowed his fears to keep him from seizing the moment and opportunities he was presented with.  No one likes to fail, and Timothy was no exception.

            Yet, Paul pleaded in fatherly tones with Timothy to be strong in grace.  There is a boldness that should exist for us when we realize that Jesus came preaching grace and truth (see John 1:17) and that even our failures can be woven together for the good of the gospel (see Romans 8:28).  When we come to terms with God’s desire to use us though we be fragile and flawed, we can become bold.  God will sustain us, just like He did Timothy.

            Don’t let fear stop you from serving.  Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 1:13)

Standards are important because they clarify expectations.  Food standards are why restaurants receive ratings for their hygienics and safety protocols.  Enjoy a worry-free meal out? Thank the standards.

Standards also allow us to replicate results.  Standardized testing ensures that there is equality in testing behavior – all kids can study for the same exams with a measure of confidence that the test they take will look like the one they prepared for.

Paul calls the commands of God, “the standards of sound words” – they clarify God’s expectations of us, and they ensure we can have confidence in the results of following them.  There is a pattern, and it isn’t going to change.  What a blessing that God gives us standards to live by!

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.” (1 Timothy 6:6)

            If everyone stuck this above quote to their bathroom mirror, vision board, or refrigerator, we’d have a very different world in a month’s time.  Stop trying to gain what you are guaranteed to lose.

            It just isn’t worth it.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“… and to make some return to their parents; for this is acceptable in the sight of God.” (1 Timothy 5:4)

There is a responsibility that children and grandchildren have to their aging parents and grandparents.  It is impossible to fully repay the sacrifices which the older generation has made to bless the younger, but it is possible to make “some return”.

In a society that turns its nose up at the elderly and often excludes them, a simple way to practice piety and godliness is to care for the aged and infirm.  Do not forget the generations which have paved the way for yours.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“…by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron…” (1 Timothy 4:2)

When an animal is branded, there is an initial burst of pain at the intense heat, but after that, there is nothing.  The nerve endings are all burnt off, and the animal no longer feels anything at all where they have been branded.

God warns us that sin has a branding effect.  The first lie is immensely painful.  The lie brings anxiety, fear, and shame… but the next lie gets easier.  The first time a man’s eye wanders, he has pangs of guilt, but eventually the voyeurism of pornography draws him in as he gives in to his lusts.  Whether it be cowardice, outbursts of anger, treachery, or deceit… all sin can callous our hearts if we let it.

So, don’t let it!  Fight the temptation and fight the callous.  Repentance and confession rip the scab off and cause the wound of sin to bleed, but it also leaves room for new growth and healing.  The antidote to the branding effect is the vulnerability of confession.  Own your sin, and it will not be allowed to own you.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites