Bit By Bit
“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…” Titus 1:1-3
Insight
Have you ever read a sentence that is wordy and overwhelming? Well, today’s verse is actually one entire sentence full of intense words and phrases. Typically, sentences like this rack my brain, so in order to better understand it, I break it down from comma to comma. When we do this to the opening sentence of Paul’s letter to Titus it can still be a bit intimidating. So, let us do it together!
“Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ” - We see Paul is the author and learn a bit more about him.
“For the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth” - We see Paul’s purpose. Paul is writing to those we are walking with God so that they can continue to learn about God.
“Which accords with godliness” - Paul is talking about the previous verse and how we learn more about God how to reflect His godliness.
“In hope of eternal life” - For those of us walking with God, one of the greatest promises we have is life with Him in Heaven, forever!
“Which God, who never lies” - Paul is reinforcing that truth is a part of God’s character. So, if for some reason God lied, He would not be God. But God is all truth, all the time.
“Promised before the ages began and at the proper time manifested in His word” - Paul is revealing that the promise of eternal life was promised before time even began. This helps to show God’s sovereignty and being in charge of all things. Also, the promise was made visible through Jesus. Jesus was the manifestation of God on earth, and His life serves as the fulfillment of the promise that we could have eternal life.
“Through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior” - Paul is revealing the call he received from God, and the call entrusted to us to live our and model.
Phew. We did it! The inspired words, narrative, and historical accounts that make up the Bible should have us free-falling in love with God. As we witness His story of redemption still unfolding in Scripture, it should captivate our lives unlike any other. As we are captivated in God’s love, we see that our lives are a reflection of that love. It is difficult to convince someone to read the Bible just by telling them to, or even telling them that their life depends on it. But when we live in a way that reflects what we read and come to know about Jesus, we extend an appealing invitation to, “come and see Jesus.”
The purpose of these narratives, stories, and characters are not for right answers, not for upholding impossible laws, and not to use it in a way to leverage power, guilt, or shame onto others. The purpose of God’s inspired word is the opportunity for us to see Jesus. As we see Jesus, we see what John discovered, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:1-5).
John had no idea that his words would be preserved for thousands of years and be read by billions of people. The word that John saw was a person, not the Bible. John saw Jesus, and his words remind us that as we are looking at the Word, it is not a book alone; but is a tapestry that invites us to see the love, grace, beauty, and majesty of Jesus.
Reflection
What obstacles seem to pop up when you consider spending time in the Bible?
How does reading the Bible to find Jesus change the way you approach Scripture?
Prayer
Father, thank you for revealing Yourself in such incredible ways. How undeserved is it that our Savior would allow us to discover Him so deeply and so freely. I am so grateful that Your inspired words are so accessible. Your footprint is all over these Scriptures, and I pray that I find You in every moment that I spend with You. Let Your word ignite a desire for more of You above all else. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.
Port City writer Davy Nance wrote today’s devotional.
