(Titus 1:1-4) Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior; to Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
O (Observation)
Such a long, thoughtful introduction! Paul starts by re-introducing himself, as though the reminder was as much for himself as it was for Titus. Being aware of one's identity is always a relevant consideration.
Paul first identified himself as God's servant (slave), then as Jesus Christ's apostle (sent one). Having been so highly called and commissioned, that begged the question: Why? God's answer was that He sent Paul for the well-being, for the sake of the Church's faith and knowledge of Truth. How? When God's timing was perfectly completed, He sent Paul so Paul's preaching of the Gospel and his obedience to God's commands would cause God's eternal life to be revealed. That joy, then pressed Paul to comment on the father-son link he shared with Titus, a better family bond than what mere biological paternity bonds can only mimic at best (how awesome when the family bond is both spiritual and biological). As if that wasn't enough, Paul brought them back to to the source of this joy: grace and peace from the most benevolent Father-Son team ever.
A (Application, Personal)
As Paul matured in his faith, he described himself more frequently in terms of utter service to other people--as being indebted to everyone. Because He served God, he considered himself everyone's slave, yet without placing their authority over God's. Nonetheless, for Paul, being an apostle of Jesus Christ didn't conflict with being a voluntary slave. As a friend told me, the way to know whether you're a servant or not is whether people treat you like a servant. Do people just expect me to serve them? That, Steve, would be a good thing if they did. Hmmmm ... does my family see me as a servant? What about the people I work with or for? How about the people who live near me? My enemies?
A (Application, Psychological)
It's interesting that being a servant of Jesus Christ may well involve the same work ("duties") that slaves begrudgingly do. Jesus delivered the Ancient Hebrews from oppressive Egyptian taskmasters, yet He also sent Paul (and many others) into voluntary service that often included humble labor and sometimes even oppressive conditions. It reminds me of a couples I've counseled where one person felt trapped and overburdened with some of the relational or household "duties" (tasks necessary for the maintenance and well-being of homes or relationships)... yet these very same duties, if done with voluntary love, would be (or could be) a source of great delight. Our attitudes, motives, and beliefs are capable of turning transforming our work into miserable slavery just as effectively as it can turn it into honorable, satisfying service.
P (Prayer)
Lord, You said You reward the labor of all who serve others when we do it as unto You. As You've revealed through Your Word, I see that I can still serve You even if my "masters" don't serve You at all. I am so grateful that my fellow workers and bosses (which includes my family) are true joys to work for. Maybe they're great people. Or maybe this joy has simply been my reward from You for serving them as though I were serving You. Frankly, You've blessed me so much, it's hard to figure out why ... but I'm very grateful!
No comments:
Post a Comment