The Hope of Eternal Life

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Titus 3:1-8  The Message

He Put Our Lives Together

3 ^1-2 Remind the people to respect the government and be law-abiding, always ready to lend a helping hand. No insults, no fights. God’s people should be bighearted and courteous.

^3-8 It wasn’t so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this.

For Reflection 

Don't you wonder at times, "What ever happened to common decency?"  Is it too much to ask these days when just about everyone has assumed the license to say just about anything to anyone without censure?  Has our technology enabled anonymity so that one does not have to answer to his destructive communication? 

Christians must live creative lives, not destructive ones.  A Christian's task is to build a loving community of justice compassion, forgiveness and peace.  How are we doing?

Pray

for the Christians who justify brutality, and merciless vitriol with mad waving of scriptural "proofs".  Pray for those whose version of Christianity justifies malevolence.

Pray for those who glow with the light of the living Christ and who work to counter the harsh reality of our culture with overtures of peace.  Pray for the Church to be renewed in its mission to bring justice where there is injustice, forgiveness and compassion where there is only retribution and peace where there is chaos.