NorMel House Devotions

John 1:1-5 “ In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” Light versus dark. Darkness verses light. So much of our lives revolve around light and darkness; we live in the light, thrive in light and can be scared of the dark. A little child will ask for a nightlight because the darkness is scary; we can’t see our way in the dark, nor can we tell if there’s danger lurking. Our days are determined by the sun rising and setting, by light and dark. The Bible also talks about light and dark. God is the creator and source of light. Genesis 1:1-4 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God wa...

Titus 2:2  “Teach the elderly men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.” Once again, we see that Paul has brought us back to the importance of sound doctrine and practical application for the Christian life. Paul tells Titus to teach the older men to live up to certain standards, many of which were the qualifications for the elders in the church. Older men are the backbone of the church and so it makes sense that they should have the same qualities as the leaders in the church. As elderly members of the church, they are responsible for setting an example for those who are younger than them. By their conduct, speech and appearance they should set an example for godly living. Though their bodies may be failing, they should fill their minds continuously with God’s word so that they will be sound in faith and live a life worthy of respect. If their love for God and their faith in Him is genuine, then their actions will show th...

Titus 2:1 “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.” In chapter 1:1 Paul told us he was there to “further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness”. His purpose was to spread the good news of the gospel, and it is a transformative gospel! At the end of chapter 1, Paul talks about false teachers when he says, “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him.” This leads us right into today’s text in chapter 2:1 where Paul reminds Titus that he is to teach what accords with sound doctrine. He wants Titus to know that the very doctrine he is to teach must be made evident in his own life. The grace of God transforms you, it is not simply moralism or religion; the true saving gospel will make an obvious and marked difference in your life. We are to make sure that the content of the preaching is wholesome and sound and combines correct knowledge and understanding with consistent practice in the preacher’s life. Faith that is ...

Titus 1: 15-16 “To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and their consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.” Paul has been talking about false teachers and false doctrine and in today’s text he continues with this topic. The Pharisees and Judaizers were obsessed with purity; they made up all kinds of laws about what was clean and pure and how to avoid becoming unclean. They tried to trap Jesus in Mark 7 by asking Him, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?” (Mark 7:5) They put the ideas and rules, that they made up, above the laws of God. Jesus turns this around and tells them, “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” (Mark 7:8) He continues explaining and in Mark 7:15 He s...

  Titus 1:11  “They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach – and that for the sake of dishonest gain” We saw in our last text how Satan can work in subtle ways. There were deceitful men in the church, teaching false doctrine, and here Paul tells us it was for “dishonest gain”. These men had the wrong motives and were trying to convince others of their lies. Even today, it’s easy to see that many preachers are in it for money or fame. They put themselves out there as men of God, but they subvert the gospel and have selfish reasons for preaching. Their message does not align with God’s word; it may sound close to the truth, but they slip in falsehoods and give more attention to the wants and desires of man. So how does Paul tell us to deal with these men? Paul tells us “They must be silenced” meaning we must rebuke them! This may sound harsh, but the Bible tells us in Matthew 18:6 that “If anyone causes one of ...

Titus 1:10 "For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group." When people think of false doctrine, quite often they think it’s an obvious and easy thing to identify, however there are times when Satan likes to work in subtle ways. In the time of this letter to Titus, Paul knew that there were many that were teaching and preaching things that were false, however, these false teachers truly believed the doctrine they were preaching was correct. This is often the case with “rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers”, so we must guard against this. This is a problem within the churches and therefore a big problem. The Bible gives us many warnings about those who profess to know the gospel but slip in falsehoods or their own rules and practices. In Matthew 24:24, Jesus says, “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” F...

How truly great is His mercy and love, That He should come down from up above, That He should choose a wretch like me, And send His Son to calvary, To die a death that I deserve, And from God's eternal wrath preserve, To save my soul from the depths of hell, So of His love I know I shall, Sing praise to His almighty Name, And thank Him for removing my shame. Freed from His punishment and wrath By His Spirit I follow the path That God in His great love has planned Til in His house I forever stand. Melynda Hoeksema 

Titus 1:9  “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” As we continue our journey through the book of Titus we come to the next and perhaps one of the most important qualifications for an elder. There is a number of things we ought to take note of in this verse and the first is that an elder must ‘hold firm’. In the time Paul was writing this, many were sailors. Sailors would often tell each other to “hold tight” during storms, meaning, they should grab something solid and secure to save them from being swept overboard and drowning in the stormy waters. An elder must cling to the word of God, knowing it is the source of salvation. Not just any word, but the “trustworthy word”. God’s word, the witness of the apostles of the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. That which happened, was witnessed, proclaimed, recorded and preserved by God. Paul already referenced this ...

 Titus 1:7-8  “For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined ” (ESV) In today’s text, Paul takes a look at the positive qualifications for elders. Christ equips us all with different gifts and the gifts listed are the ones required of men in church leadership. The Holy Spirit puts these men into office as preachers, teachers and elders. 1 Peter 4:10 says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” These gifts will mark those who qualify to be in office, and if we look at 1 Timothy 3 we can see a similar list for the elders and overseers of the church. 1 Timothy 3:2-3 tells us “An overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.” These gifts will be e...