What are you awaiting? How are you awaiting? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Titus 2:11-14,

"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." 

Paul reminds Titus that God's grace offers salvation to all people. Yes, Paul really said all people! Bad ones, good ones, foolish ones, wise ones, sour ones, happy ones, skinny ones, fat ones, hairy ones, bald ones... well, you get the idea. Salvation is an offer and that offer is out there for absolutely all. Forget all the theology any of us think we know. This right here is all we need to know: God, in his wonderful grace, offers us, all of us, salvation! Since it is an offer, it is up to us to accept and our acceptance is made by what Paul starts this letter off with: faith. He tells Titus that the purpose of this letter is further this faith that must be expressed in order to accept God's offer. It is a faith that is common to all who have taken the offer. See Titus 1:1, 4. God has chosen for himself all who will embrace him in this faith. We have become his chosen ones, his elect, Titus 1:1.

Since there are those of us who have accepted God's offer of salvation, and since we await the appearing of Jesus Christ, Paul tells us what we need to be about while we await our Lord. He tells us to reject ungodliness, worldly passions, to control ourselves and live lives that are pleasing to God, that is, godly lives. Paul tells us this is fitting as the Lord has redeemed us from a sinful state to purify us for himself.

This causes me to think that we are all awaiting something. At my age, it has long become evident that the things of this world are simply too transitional, too temporary, not of an abiding nature such that we ought to consider any of them as that for which we live. That is, with the exception of those things that transcend our world: God (and what he has to say,) and people. These are the things in this life that will transcend this life and form what opportunities we have that are worthwhile to give ourselves to and form the basis for what we await following this life. All people will experience/endure one eternity or another: we can embrace God and await what that will assuredly bring or reject him and await what that will assuredly bring. 

For those of us who have elected to embrace God's offer in faith, we await what comes, and as we await, we need to be pursuing what is consistent with the choice we have made. Jesus came to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify us, which provides us direction for our lives while we await his arrival for us.

What are you awaiting? How are you awaiting?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com