Our interest in learning how to be godly (like God) is a barometer of our commitment to our Savior. Why did we trust in Him if not to serve Him and become like Him?

5 The righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight, but the wicked are brought down by their own *wickedness.

One of my daily verses/passages is Titus 2:11-14. It says,

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Let’s break it down:

1. The grace of God- Grace is what God gave us. “Justice is what a person deserves; mercy is not getting what a person deserves; grace is a person getting what he needs rather than what he deserves.” We received grace through “the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” Romans 3:24+. This grace appeared on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came to dwell in believers. Now, we have Christ in us! He, through the Spirit, teaches us all the time every day–if we are listening.
2. “No”- We have a choice. We answer either “no” or “yes” to temptation. Recognizing temptation before we are consumed by desire is the key to godly living. We say “no” BEFORE we are hit by worldly (out-of-control) passions by establishing guard rails that “keep us on the road.”
3. “Yes”- It is implied that we say “yes” to the Spirit, and are rewarded with the desire and the power to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives.
4. “This present age,” “wait for the blessed hope,” “Appearing”- We await a returning Savior, Jesus Christ the Messiah, Yeshua Ha-Mashiach, who is King of kings and Lord of lords.
5. Who gave Himself for us- Grace came because of Christ’s willingness to die in our place. Praise God He rose from the dead; now, we can, too, through Him! His purpose was:
   1. To redeem us from all wickedness. I define *wickedness as “acting out of our own will with no regard to God’s will.” We no longer think on our own, but are joined by the Holy Spirit.
   2. To purify for Himself a people who are His very own. I quoted Romans 3:24 earlier. Here’s the entire passage: 22 “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. 23 There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Jesus created a new humanity by reconciling Jews and Gentiles to God through the cross (Ephesians 2:14-18).
6. Eager to do what is good- Are we eager to do what is good? Do we look for the right way to do things? Do we ask Him to help us determine what is good in every circumstance? Every word? Even every thought? Are we aware of His presence and participation in our lives?

May we seek to become more and more aware each day by searching the Scriptures for insights into God’s character, God’s motivation, and God’s plan for this world and all mankind. IT’S IN THERE!

Abba, I love it when You stop me in my prayer time and have me camp on a Scripture passage. You rarely just come out and tell me something; You have me dig and search for corroborating Scriptures and even check to see what other Christians have to say on the matter. But, what learning! What fellowship with the Spirit! Thank You for being active in my life. May I never go back to “doing things on my own with no regard for You and Your will” (i.e. *wickedness). Lead on, my King. I pledge to follow. Amen.