You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine.
Titus 2:1[1]
No matter how hard we may try, we’ll always have responsibilities. Things that we’re supposed to do. Things we’re called to do. Things we’re committed to do. Things that we’re commanded to do.
Some of us are easy-going and like to do the things we’re responsible for. We’ll do what we’re told without a lot of lip. When our boss tells us something to do, we’re happy to follow their directions. When the police have closed a road because of an accident, we happily follow their commands and look for a way to get where we’re going.
And then there are some of us that push back on everything. We’ll balk at every responsibility we have. We’ll push back on every task and assignment our life seems to give. We’ll sigh and moan about how unfair life is that we’ve been weighed down with such a hard task. That life’s unfair.
Yes, we all have responsibilities. Some are fair, some aren’t. Some are easy, some are hard. Some are simple while others are going to take lots and lots of hard work. Some seem to fit with the things we like to do, while others just seem to be impossible and we’ll never be able to do it.
When Paul tells Titus that he must teach, he wasn’t giving him a suggestion. Paul’s words weren’t just some fluffy encouragements to keep on keeping on either. Titus wasn’t to just speak up when it was convenient. When it was easy. When there was a friendly audience, and everyone was willing to listen.
No, Paul is telling Titus his responsibilities. He’s commanding Titus to get up and to teach. He’s to be presently and actively speaking with no letup. No matter what people say or do, his job is to speak and teach. And when he’s taught for a while, he’s to speak and teach some more.
Titus might have been a talented and gifted speaker, or he might have had trouble speaking. He might have had lots of education, or he might have had very little. He could be comfortable in front of a crowd or he might have been really shy and wanted to run and hide. And in one sense, it really doesn’t matter.
You see, while we know precious little about Titus, we know that God had called him and was there with him. God is able to use everyone and anyone in his service. In his kingdom. For his glory and for the good of many.
If God could only use the talented and well educated, he’s never have picked the 12 misfits. Or, as some people refer to them, as the 12 apostles. None of them were from large cities with lots of education. They weren’t just flawed; they were greatly flawed. They lacked faith. They were hardheaded and hard hearted.
Titus is to stand up straight in front of people. Not in a proud way, but so he could be seen and heard. He should look like a tower in front of a crowd. He wasn’t to hide and speak in a whisper. He was to be noticed and easily heard.
But why? Why not just go around silently and talk quietly to a few people? Why draw all that attention to himself? Was it to boost his self-confidence? Was it to get his number of likes up on social media? Was it to get a large following and be a big influencer on the internet?
No. There’s something so much more important than just being heard. The message of what Titus says is the main thing. Paul ordered Titus not just to speak. To entertain. To draw a large crowd.
Sound doctrine is to be his focus. It’s not about what’s popular or will be accepted by society. It’s not even about what Paul or Titus think. It’s to be all about who God is. What he has said. And what he’s done.
Because, when sound doctrine is spoken and lived in a way that people can understand, it changes them. God uses his words to bring people to faith through Jesus. Then, they are transformed to become the people that God made them to be. To live a life that worships and honors God in all they do and say.
Is it any wonder that the enemy is so against people standing tall and humbly telling others about the God who loves them? Faithful men and women who share God’s loving call for people to turn from themselves and towards him are under attack from all sides. They deserve our prayers. They deserve our support. They deserve our friendship.
Which brings up the question of where we fit into this picture? Has God called you to be a Titus? Someone who stands up straight and tall, explaining God’s word to the people around you? Or are you one of the people who are to stand beside and behind a Titus in support?
The truth is that all of us have a place where God has called us to be presently and actively speaking and living for him. God is not the kind of person who wants to hide his will for us. It’s mostly about us listening and following. So, how are you doing?
Noodling Questions
Which responsibilities are easy for you to respond to?
What responsibilities send you running for the hills?
Why do certain responsibilities scare you?
[1] Unless otherwise noted, all Bible references are from the New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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