Titus 2:11-14
“If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desire not too strong, but too weak… We are far too easily pleased.”
From The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis
This is the type of scripture that really irks me. Until recently, quite frankly, I would have skipped it completely, because it is the sort of scripture that can make Christians seem either boring or hypocritical, or at worst, like boring hypocrites.
Give up “ungodly living and worldly passions” to pursue Christ-like lives? Boring. Christ has made us a “pure people” jumping at the opportunity to serve others? Hypocritical. But boring and hypocritical hardly come close to the truth. Christ made us new, and as we continue to fall prey to unholy shortcomings, Christ commits to finishing the work He started in us. He wants us to believe His promise that if we shun the superficial desires of our human lives, He will provide us with better desires that surpass any joy or fulfillment we could ever know or imagine. Not boring, because a Christ-like life is a great adventure of risk and victory. Not hypocritical, because our faith is a long, slow walk in the right direction.
Titus, a Gentile convert to the faith, was attracted to Christianity, not because he encountered perfect Christians, but because he was exposed to Christians whose obedience led to freedom. Will friends of yours who do not know Christ perceive him in your desires?
Prayer: God, help me to belong to you alone. When my desires are too small, show me how to make them bigger!
Bailey Thomson