Wednesday 16 Jan 2013

Wednesday Reading: Titus 2:1-5

Key Verse: Titus 2:2
2  That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

Devotion:
We all need reminders at times and this chapter is a reminder to serve as best we can, but not just a general reminder because we often forget about those! If we need to remember something then making it personal will help us to remember because that will make us think about the position or situation that we are in. Titus is reminded in this chapter to take care of and encourage various age ranges and not just to mix with people of like age and scope in our lives.

Teaching the Gospel mean reaching out to people of all ages and encouraging them in each of their own ways to be more vigilant and to try to follow the ordinances of God that have been in effect since man was created – to love God and to love others. The older we get the more apt we are to want our own ways and to not cater for others – that is just the way that we are; we get old and we no longer want to change. But as Christians we have to remember that people around us change and so we have to note that and be patient with them as we try to teach them the truth without forcing them into our own will instead of God’s will. Our aim as we get older should be to want to pass on the wisdom that God has given us so that others may choose to follow Him.

Each of us has a role to play in society and each of us will want to do that in different ways, but just because we are set in our own ways it does not mean that the rest of the world should be formed into our ways; our aim must be to teach God’s ways and to lift up His will and His ways instead of our own. We need to give God the glory in everything that we do and that also means that giving in to His ways even when we don’t want to change anymore.

Being more stubborn as we get older comes with the territory and both young and old need to realise that fact and make allowances for it. If we do not then we face the probability of rubbing others up the wrong way and taking any glory away from God as we pursue our own goals.

Points to Ponder:
Do you like doing things your own way?

Are those ways actually God’s ways?