Titus 2
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus
What are you looking for?
If you’ve ever been in love (you know, the feeling of infatuation that causes you to obsess over someone), you know what it’s like to wait anxiously for your better half to appear for something. The seconds tick away like huge chunks of time and the minutes seem like hours. Every moment you have to wait is an eternity apart from your loved one.
Aside from the overly dramatic moments of young love, this is what God expects of us. We should be eagerly anticipating the return of our Loved One, our Savior. We should be watching and expecting that each moment will be the one in which He returns to take us to glory.
Notice, there are two parts to His coming: the blessed hope and the glorious appearing. These are two parts of the same coming. Two different occasions separated by seven years. Christ will come in the clouds (the blessed hope) to rapture His church and take her to heaven with Him. Then seven years later, He will return fully to earth, gloriously appearing before the whole world to judge the righteous and the wicked as The King.
So we know who is coming and the order and what will happen, but how are we to look?
How do we look for our loved one when we’re waiting?
We should live for them. You don’t watch and wait for your beloved by being distracted with others, or by paying attention to objects or toys. You patiently, expectantly wait with a focus that is laser-like.
God expects nothing different from us. We are instructed to deny ungodliness by keeping our thoughts, eyes and attention on Him only and not on false gods. We are instructed to deny worldly desires, those things that would cause us to break fellowship with Him, things He has warned us from to protect us. Those are the “What not to dos”.
We are supposed to live sensibly, making decisions that would please Him.
We are supposed to live righteously, reflecting His character in our day to day behavior.
We are supposed to live godly, striving to obey His example and mirror His Word.
How can we do all of that?
His grace enables, empowers and enthralls us. It is the only power that can allow us to wait for Him with anticipation.
So, what are you looking for?
Secondly, how are you looking?
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus
What are you looking for?
If you’ve ever been in love (you know, the feeling of infatuation that causes you to obsess over someone), you know what it’s like to wait anxiously for your better half to appear for something. The seconds tick away like huge chunks of time and the minutes seem like hours. Every moment you have to wait is an eternity apart from your loved one.
Aside from the overly dramatic moments of young love, this is what God expects of us. We should be eagerly anticipating the return of our Loved One, our Savior. We should be watching and expecting that each moment will be the one in which He returns to take us to glory.
Notice, there are two parts to His coming: the blessed hope and the glorious appearing. These are two parts of the same coming. Two different occasions separated by seven years. Christ will come in the clouds (the blessed hope) to rapture His church and take her to heaven with Him. Then seven years later, He will return fully to earth, gloriously appearing before the whole world to judge the righteous and the wicked as The King.
So we know who is coming and the order and what will happen, but how are we to look?
How do we look for our loved one when we’re waiting?
We should live for them. You don’t watch and wait for your beloved by being distracted with others, or by paying attention to objects or toys. You patiently, expectantly wait with a focus that is laser-like.
God expects nothing different from us. We are instructed to deny ungodliness by keeping our thoughts, eyes and attention on Him only and not on false gods. We are instructed to deny worldly desires, those things that would cause us to break fellowship with Him, things He has warned us from to protect us. Those are the “What not to dos”.
We are supposed to live sensibly, making decisions that would please Him.
We are supposed to live righteously, reflecting His character in our day to day behavior.
We are supposed to live godly, striving to obey His example and mirror His Word.
How can we do all of that?
His grace enables, empowers and enthralls us. It is the only power that can allow us to wait for Him with anticipation.
So, what are you looking for?
Secondly, how are you looking?
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