NorMel House Devotions

Titus 3:1-2 “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate and always to be gentle toward everyone.” The way that Christians behave in society has a direct relation to the impact of the gospel. Once again, Paul speaks of Christian living but this time he’s specifically referring to our conduct in society. The Christian should be law-abiding, obedient, and, as our text says, “ready to do whatever is good.” Paul, once again, takes us back to the evils of the tongue when he tells us to slander no one. We are called to radical goodness! Not only are we not to speak evil of others, but we are also to be courteous and considerate to everyone. We often try to categorize sin into greater and lesser evil but that is not right. Sin is sin. All of our behavior must be such that it commends the gospel so that others will be attracted to the gospel. We must seek to save! Jesus spoke o...

Titus 2:3 “Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.” Paul starts off this verse with “likewise” to show us that what he has just said about the older men also applies to the older women. They too must be spiritually mature and wise, and use the benefit of their years of experience to help teach those who are younger than them. Many times, throughout the book of Titus, Paul tells him to teach and once again we see that even the older members still need to be taught. We are never done learning and there is always room for improvement.  Paul tells Titus to teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live. That means that in the way they dress and act, indeed, in all their conduct they must act as quiet servants in the house of the Lord. A reverent woman is one who has a spirit of joyful submission to the life that God has established for her as a woman. The next qualities Pau...

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 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...

  Titus 1:5-7  “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you – if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 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” (ESV) Elders are an important part of our church structure but why are they important? Who should be an elder? Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.” (ESV) That’s a pretty heavy responsibility! If men are to be put into an office where they are going to have to give an account for those under them, the standards for being a leader ought to be high, and so they are! Our text says, “For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above re...

  Titus 1:5-6 “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you – if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination .” ESV Paul wrote to Titus to set up new leadership in the churches because the Apostles would not be around forever. The standards given for the elders in the church are high and we ought not to lower God’s standards. These standards are high because elders are entrusted with God’s work. While perfection is not possible, elders must still have a pattern of life so that people cannot bring charges of wrongdoing against them. Their speech and conduct, in fact their whole lives, must show they have good moral and spiritual character so that they can set a good example for others. It’s interesting that Paul starts the list of requirements with family life. A man who cannot spiritually and mor...

  Read 1 John 4 At first glance, chapter 4 may appear to be a repetition of things John had previously said. However, there is more to learn here. While John had warned against false prophets and teachers, he now tells us to "test the spirits to see whether they are from God." (1 John 4:1). He gives the reader a way to discern and recognize false teaching; those who deny that Christ came in the flesh are anti-christs. John also tells the reader that the world will follow its own, but God is greater than the world. True prophets speak from God and co fess that Jesus Christ was a true man and, at the same time, true God. John was not the only one to warn against false prophets. Paul also warned against them in 1 Timothy 4:1-2a, where he wrote, "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars..." So how do we discern the truth? John says, ...

Read Proverbs 31:10-31, and Exodus 33:17-20 Beauty. So many people will do anything for it. The world is full of products, diets, and fads in a vain attempt to attain beauty. But what is beauty? The world defines beauty as a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form that pleases the anesthetic senses, especially sight. The Bible defines beauty quite differently. Proverbs 31 has quite a bit to say about what we, as women, should aspire to be. Proverbs 31:10 says, "A wife of noble character, who can find? She is worth far more than rubies." Beauty is found within your character, your spirit, and your attitude. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, "Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things that man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." What is in your heart will come out in all you say and do. If we keep reading Proverbs 31, we see that a beautiful woman is one who is...

Read 1 Timothy 4:11-15 Paul wrote to Timothy to warn him about false teachers and to instruct him in church matters. In chapter four, he starts by explaining that there are some in the church pushing false teachings. They were teaching a strict practice of self-denial from marriage and foods (see 1 Timothy 4:3). Paul also warns against godless myths and old wives' tales (1 Timothy 4:7) and tells Timothy to instead train himself to be godly (1 Timothy 4:8). What follows, in our text, is instructions on how to live a godly life. We, too, can learn from Paul's instructions. As Christians, we, too, must set an example for others. One of the ways we can strive for godly behavior is devoting ourselves to reading scripture. Paul tells Timothy he has a gift from God that he must not waste. He urges Timothy to make his spiritual growth visible for others and to preach and teach others to do the same. There's a couple of things we can learn from Paul's instructions. First, we are...