NorMel House Devotions

Titus 3:15 “Everyone with me sends you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.” Grace. Grace is where everything starts and ends.  Grace is where Paul begins and ends his letter as well. Grace makes salvation possible. By the grace of God, Christ brought us salvation. “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:11-12). Grace makes it possible for us to do the good works that Paul has been teaching us about, and that God requires of us. It is by grace that we are justified and made heirs to the kingdom of heaven. Paul wrote, “So that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7). By God’s grace, we are called and made willing and able to live a life that is marked by good works. Although it may seem that Paul’s letter is asking a l...

Titus 3:12-15 “12 When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 13 Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. 14 And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.15 All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.” You might be tempted to just skip over the final verses of the book of Titus, thinking that it's simply Paul’s typical greeting, but every word of the Bible is God-breathed and important. God has not designed us to live alone. People matter, fellowship matters. We matter to God, and He uses us for His purposes. There is nothing in the Bible that is small or insignificant. The Bible teaches us that the Creator preserves His people, and all things are used to further His will. God created you at the exact moment He desire...

  Titus 3:11 “For people like that have turned away from the truth, and their own sins condemn them.” Today’s text is quite simple. Paul has been making the point that the gospel is transformative. One who has been born again in Christ will live differently than the unrepentant sinner. 1 John 2:4-6 says, “Whoever says, ‘I know Him,’ but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys His word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in Him. Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did.” People who have turned away from the gospel truth will be obvious because they won’t be living as Jesus did. Their actions will reveal what is in their heart, thereby condemning them. We are all sinners, condemned by our sins, but one who lives for Christ will strive to do what is right and, by the Holy Spirit, will live to do the good works God has set forth for them to do. No, Christians are not perfect, but i...

Titus 3:10 “Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that have nothing to do with them.” Have you ever met a child or adult who argues a lot, someone who seems to enjoy picking fights? When a child has a bad attitude and is stirring up arguments, you don’t allow them to disrupt and disturb the whole house; you send them to their room until they can be a positive, productive, and happy member of the house. Just as discipline is important in the home, so, too, in the family of Christ. When parents fail to discipline, it affects the whole house. Paul wrote several times in his pastoral letters not to allow division and how to deal with it when it arises. When someone causes division in the church, they threaten its unity and must be dealt with. These warnings must be given to correct the individual’s divisive nature with a view to restoration in the church. Our warnings ought to be purposeful, pointing out their errors and the implications of their actions, wit...

Titus 3:9 “But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.” Have you ever argued with someone about something that really has no solution or is completely unimportant? In our text, Paul warns against foolish arguments. At the time, some were adding names and stories to the genealogies and then getting into arguments about them. They were turning the truth into myth. Some people were adding laws and stipulations to the law and then quarreling about their legitimacy and importance. Paul has just taught us about what is profitable for everyone and now warns us against something that is profitable to no one. Paul warns Titus about getting involved in these petty arguments and foolish quarreling. We must not let ourselves be distracted from the gospel truth by those who embellish history or add to God’s law. This doesn’t mean we can’t have honest discussions that lead to wisdom or understanding. In fact, t...

Titus 3:8 “This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.”  Throughout the letter to Titus, Paul has stressed the importance of doing good works and living a Christian lifestyle. He wants Titus to teach “what accords with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1), and He reminds us that we can trust what he has been saying because Christianity is not characterized by hopes, wants, and dreams, but rather, it is based on historical facts. What Paul has just told us in verses 4-7 is trustworthy because it is true, rational, and verifiable. Christianity is unique; religions of the world tell us to do this or do that, but Christianity tells us to look at what WAS done. The good news is what God has already accomplished for sinners. This verifiable truth is why Paul reminds us that what he has told us is trustworthy: Jesus came, ...