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For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds. (Titus 2:11-14)
We're just hours away from the celebration of the greatest event the world has ever known; the birth of God's Son, our Messiah, our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Yet, for many, this is a time of rush and hurry to get the last-minute gift for that hard-to-please person on their list; others are rushing to the grocery store to fight the crowds that must prepare a feast to the liking of even the pickiest of eaters. What if we sat down, took a deep breath and prayed this prayer: "Lord, help me to live a self-controlled, upright, and Godly life; for You have taken care of all the rest through Jesus, amen."?
Titus writes these words because he knew all about life and all about God. He knew that through Christ, God has taken care of us with the most important aspects of our life: Our souls are saved; with the right attitude, we become people for all people to bring them along this journey of life and that in abundance; and as we work for the good of all, we await the final glory that is coming. It does require our part as illustrated in the photo selected for today's reading; We must find the right balance for our lives, a certain calmness that fights against anxiety; the determination to move forward in spite of unexpected setbacks or illnesses, the confidence that says, "I can do this" that comes from God's Holy Spirit in our lives, and the willpower that is ours for the taking by asking God to help us. That is self-control. For upright, God's Spirit helps us make the right and best decisions for our lives; staying away from the harmful to us and others choices that come our way. For the Godly, that comes from the time we spend with God in prayer and scripture reading and study. If we start there, the other two come easier.
PRAYER: LORD, it was the birth of a tiny baby that has brought all this traffic to our areas, shoppers to our stores, and a hurried pace. Many have forgotten that, but I pray not to be among those; I want to be those Titus mentioned who have it altogether because of You. This I pray in He born for us, Jesus our Lord, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
