Fe Y Mas - 2/6/06

Titus 2:6-8, "In the same way, encourage young men to be wise. In every way be an example of doing good deeds. When you teach, do it with honesty and seriousness. Speak the truth so that you cannot be criticized. Then those who are against you will be ashamed because there is nothing bad to say about us."

Thumbing through my Bible this morning, I felt led to go to the book of Titus. With each passage I read elsewhere, I could see in my mind the abbreviation, "Ti." So, I finally did and started reading the verse 2:3-5. This was the verse my wife felt she should bring to the attention of the ladies in your couples' group a few weeks ago -- confirmation for me that this is the section I should read. So, I read on to see what was commanded here for the men.

I am a teacher, and here is a commandment to do so with honesty and seriousness. I know this approach commands respect in the classroom -- peppered with humor -- making it an effective classroom management technique. Good advice there. But there's also the advice to be wise, truthful, and an example of good deeds. AGAIN, a call to action, works, doing, acting on faith, emerging as a theme in my morning devotion.

Clearly, stepping out on faith and actually doing what you feel led to achieve will draw attention. Therefore, it's clear here that we should be wise -- make responsible decisions, and truthful.

This is because living your faith will draw the attention of some who stand against it. Living with truth and wisdom will provide them no opportunity to expose hypocrisy and challenge the credibility of Christian living and values. To live in faith means then to defend it with integrity, proving the value of making healthy choices that honor God.