Titus 1:1-2
From Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ.
I encourage God’s own people to have more faith and to understand the truth about religion. Then they will have the hope of eternal life that God promised long ago. And God never tells a lie!
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Yesterday when I picked Timothy up, he said (as he often does), “I waited and waited for you to come, and I was worried that you weren’t coming!” I reminded him that his Uncle Greg and I will always come to get him when we say we will… that when we make a promise to him, we will not break it. He can trust us to keep our word. And for the record, I don’t think his mother even told him that we were coming after him until right before I arrived! But he always tells us that he waited and worried that we might not come. And I have to tell you…even if that is a manipulative ploy on the part of a 4-year-old boy… it tugs at my heart to think that he might actually fear that we won’t keep a promise.
As I read this passage and thought about Timothy’s comments, it struck me that God must feel much the same way. He has promised so much to us… and He would never lie to His children. So when we question and doubt… worry and wonder… it has to bother Him. And it also robs us of our hope, faith, confidence and peace.
So how can we combat this? Paul is very clear in his letter to Titus. He challenges us to understand God’s truths… which means to study His word, to spend time in communication with Him through prayer and meditation (listening for God’s voice), and to observe the words and actions of faith-filled Christian disciples in our midst. The old adage that “knowledge is power” has never been more profound than in this instance.
I reminded Timothy again yesterday that he never has to worry that we won’t come for him as promised… or that we will fail to keep any other promises we make to him. The timing may not be to his liking… and the circumstances may not line up perfectly with his expectations, but we will always respond. And God will also respond… to each of us who hopes, trusts, and believes in Him. As Timothy grows older, he will understand more about trust and who keeps their word and makes good on promises… including God. And as we study and understand more about God and the teachings of Jesus, the more our faith and hope will increase.
Are you studying and learning about God? Are you making efforts to increase your knowledge… and to grow your faith and hope in Him? Isn’t it time you did exactly this? As we move toward the New Year and make resolutions about everything under the sun, wouldn’t this be the perfect time to resolve to get to know God better? Will this be the year that you begin to really believe His promises for your life? Shouldn’t it be?
©2013 Debbie Robus
No comments:
Post a Comment