Titus 2:11-13 (HCSB)
11For the grace of God has appeared with salvation for all people, 12 instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:11-13 HCSB)
Waiting. It’s what we do before we can see a doctor, before we can hold a newborn in our arms, before we are told if we got the scholarship, or before we learn if we got the new job. Waiting. It’s what we do until we are old enough to take our driver’s test, or until our professor posts the grade of our final exam. Waiting. It’s the pastime of parents until their son or daughter returns home from war, of children until the doctor comes out to talk with them after mom’s surgery, or until the phone rings to give us the results of the lab work. Waiting.
Only God knows the number of hours we spend waiting for some piece of news or some event to take place. Waiting tests our patience and our faith. It makes us stare holes in the ceilings above our beds, bite our nails down to the quick, and pace across our floors until the threads of the carpet disappear.
Waiting often frustrates us, making us feel like helpless victims to its tyrannical reign. But if we are wise, we accept that waiting is an important part of God’s plan and purpose for our lives. And nothing we ever wait for matters more than “the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
This text outlines how we must wait for the return of Christ. First, we must deny godlessness and worldly lusts. Second, we must live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age. And third, we must wait for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Notice the three commands: deny, live, and wait. Deny means to say no to. We must say no to anything that is godless or worldly. Live means exist. We must exist for what is sensible, righteous, and godly. And wait carries the idea of eagerness, which means we must eagerly anticipate Christ’s return.
Is your life marked by a denial of godlessness and worldly lusts? Can others see you living in a sensible, righteous, and godly way? And above all, do you eagerly anticipate Christ’s return?
Prayer: Lord, help me to be known as a person who denies all that displeases you. Help me to live every day for the things that please you. And help me to wait with eager anticipation for Jesus to come back. Amen.