Regenerated into Joyful, God Carrying People
[1] Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, [2] to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. [3] For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. [4] But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, [5] he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, [6] whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
Titus 3:1–6
What a revolution it would be if there were a mass of people like this! The fact is, there are. It is really good at the end of a week to get together with a bunch of people that have been seeking the Lord at work, at school, and to talk about how you have experienced His goodness.
Some of the things in this list seem old fashioned like being courteous, not complaining but ‘sucking it up’ and having a positive attitude. In an age where rant is a genre of news and courtesy and respect are treated suspiciously, our way of life stands out more than ever. The goodness and the kindness of our Savior has appeared, and by that appearance, it now shows up in all of us who call on His name.
Many of us weren’t kind or caring before, but since the renewing and the washing of the Holy Spirit, our moods and actions have changed. We are still the same people, but we look at life in a different way. Regeneration and renewal from God is a gift of looking at life differently, and then acting on it with Christ’s help. Camp on these verses today and look at how the goodness and loving kindness of our Savior is going to show up today. And when it does, talk about it with others. They’ll be encouraged by it too.
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