-Titus 2:3-5
Quality #1:
Behavior Reflecting a Holy Life
Other Translation Wordings:
Reverent & Devout Deportment (AMP), Reverent in behavior (ESV), Live in a way that honors God (NLT)
Breakdown:
According to Webster's dictionary the definiton of behavior is:
'the manner in which one conducts his/herself' or 'the response of an individual to it's environment'
A great travesty of the Church (the believing body of Christ) is that we are blending in more & more with the secular world. (For more on that click here) It is no secret that we live in a fallen world...a place that thrives on corruption, that thirsts & hungers for all things deemed evil in the eyes of Abba. The very nature & essence of the world is such that it should feel like persecution for a believer to merely breathe the same air as nonbelievers. Scripture goes so far as to declare that we ought to feel as though we are immigrants in a foreign land, or aliens on a different planet...such strong analogies, & such a shame that we seem to not understand them. Rather than remaining separate, we camouflage ourselves right in with the environment around us.
1 Peter 2:11
'Dear friends, I warn you as 'temporary residents & foreigners' to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.'
2 Corinthians 6:17-18
'Therefore come out from among unbelievers, & separate yourselves from them, says The Lord. Don't touch their filthy things, & I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, & you will be my sons & daughters, says The Lord Almighty."
I think we can break down our behavior issues into 3 problems...3 issues that we need to work on to aquire this quality of behaving 'the way people living a holy life should."
Problem #1: Behaving Like a Sinner
For very many of us (believers) living in this world is not a trial...not persecution at all, but a joy ride of pleasure seeking & of indulging in the same behaviors that nonbelievers do. Throughout history morality has ebbed & flowed in this fallen world, but no longer do we stand firm regardless. Rather than being as a lighthouse offering a beacon of light & hope in the midst of darkness, we have become content to ride the tide & follow the trend. Long has the argument been made that Jesus socialized with the sinners, as if this makes it permissable to live life the way that the nonbelievers do...and while it is very true that Jesus spent his time with such as these, he did not behave like them...He did not stoop to their level. He did not sin in order to save. There are ways of reaching out...of finding the lost, being light in darkness, & of helping the blind to see without compromising our moral integrity. As mere human beings, born into sinful natures ourselves, we are playing with fire when we try to live with one foot in each world. Very few people have the ability to play in the dirt & not become stained. Very few believers can immerse themselves in corruption & not sin themselves. When we accept the gift of amazing grace, we are also accepting a responsibility...the obligation to deny our old nature & to embrace our new one. As sinners the fallen world feels like home, but as believers it become a foreign land...a new planet.
Problem #2: Behaving Like a 'Christian'
Aside from compromising our morality & outrightly sinning, there's another type of 'blending in' going on. Christianity has become a culture all it's own, complete with jargon, dos & don'ts, trends, & etc. There are catch phrases, programs, & cliques that all the 'cool' Christians know about. A culture within a culture if you will. The Church (body of believers) has it's own in crowd & trends...it is full of believers who still feel like they are on the outside looking in. On Sunday, when you walk into church just observe. Note the people who stand off to the side or at the back...the people that everyone nods at, but no one stops & talks to, that rush out the door afterwards rather than socializing. Those people have been accepted by Jesus, but not by his people...oh we are polite & extoll the proper etiquette, but we don't truly embrace them...until they learn the jargon, join the programs, & don the appropriate 'modest' attire, until they look, talk, & act like we do...and even then some still don't quite make it in to the inner circle. They are always those people that we pat ourselves on the back for & gloat over how we "won them to Christ." Does that sound harsh? Perhaps, but it's also honest...don't believe me? Observe your church on Sunday, note those people I described. It happens.
Problem #3: Behaving Like a Hypocrite
There's a third problem with our behavior as believing women. We've become very, very good at talking the talk. We know the Christian jargon that I mentioned earlier. Examples: "Bless her heart", "Saved", "Quiet Time", "The Lord is working on my heart". We know the scriptures to use at the appropriate times...& there's a little thrill that comes with knowing conviction is provoked when you use the right verse at the right time. That little wince across someone's face gives us a dirty little pleasure. We're very comfortable giving stoop speeches & sending sad little smiles towards those we're preaching at. We're good at extending our helping hand towards those in need, & then discreetly wiping it off as though their touch has somehow dirtied us....We're good at talking the Christian talk...it's just walking it our that we struggle with. 87% of people believe that Christians are judgmental, & 81% say that we're hypocritical. Since I'm talking about using convicting scriptures in the right moments here's one,
Matthew 7:3-5
'Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye & pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye' while all the time there's a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, & then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.'
We have 2 purposes in this life: to be a disciple of Jesus & to make disciple of Jesus. How can we possibly do that if 87% of the world believes we snarl our nose in judgment of them, & 81% believes we've got no backbone to live out what we preach? How detrimental is it to Abba's kingdom when we (believing women) are giving out this perception? Who would want to be a part of a judgmental & hypocritical people? Our hypocrisy, our talking the talk but not walking the walk, is tainting nonbelievers vision of a Good & Loving God.
With these 3 problems in our behavior; Behaving Like Sinners, Behaving Like 'Christians', & Behaving Like Hyopocrites, it's very easy to see that we are in need of an attitude adjustment. It is equally as apparent why the quality of behaving 'the way people living a holy life should' is #1 of the 11 listed in Titus 2:3-5.
Application:
Sisters, we (I) must begin striving towards living a holy life, behaving in a way that exalts The Lord, & does not skew others' image of Him. We have to acknowledge, address, & answer the 3 behavior problems we've discussed.
Solution to Problem #1: Behaving Like a Sinner
There is no acceptable excuse for continuing in the old sinful nature when we have been given a new nature...His nature. It is not possible to serve The Lord, but act like the world. Accepting His Amazing Grace opens our eyes to truth...it allows us to know right from wrong & good from bad...and we are expected to do right & to do good. The only solution to the problem of continuing in sin is to exert some will power & to stop. Will we still sin? Yes, but we will be aware that we are doing so & are capable of becoming better at being proactive (preventing sin) rather than reactive (reacting after having sinned).
Hebrews 10:26
'For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins...'
Solution to Problem #2: Behaving Like a 'Christian'
There is nothing inherently wrong with cultivating our own culture as believers, but there is something wrong with not welcoming & embracing any & all who believe. If we only create a mini culture, one that behaves in a similar manner to the one which we are called to be separate from, then we have done no good. If we hold at arm's length those who differ from us or who don't toe the line of what we deem acceptable or trendy, then our behavior is not as Abba would have it be. It's time to quit worrying about who's wearing what, & who's in this bible study or that group. It's time to erase the invisible boundary line of cliques that exist within the Body. It's time to stop acting like a 'Christian' & to begin acting like Jesus. If Abba forgives, welcomes, & embraces all who come with a contrite heart then we should do the same. Let us quit letting our sisters & brothers be on the outside looking in.
Romans 2:11
"For God shows no favoritism."
Solution to Problem #3: Behaving Like a Hypocrite
It's time to quit worrying about the talk until we are successful at walking the walk. We must strive to live in such a way that even if we were mute one might be able to observe the way we act, the things that we do, how we treat those around us (our familes, friends, & even strangers), & want to know why behave as we do...then & only then does our talk become revelant. If our walk causes people to ask questions about our motive then we are doing something right & our talk will be received. Very simply put we need to heed our own preaching & advice. We need to live out what the Word says. We can ill afford to continue tainting people's understanding of Abba's love & goodness, but our own lack thereof.
Matthew 7:1-2
'Do not judge others, & you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.'
Romans 2:3
'Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God's judgment when you do the same things?'
The time has come for me to acknowledge my behavior problems, & to allow Abba lovingly discipline me...to give me the attitude adjustment that I need. Titus 2 calls godly women to behave in a way that reflects a holy life...I want to begin doing just that. In the very beginning of this post I wrote of how scripture calls us to be aliens & foreigners in this forsaken world, & striving towards holiness will very naturally cause us to be just that. Be Blessed!
Previous Titus 2 Series Posts:
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