Monday 2 October, 2017

6 In the same way, help the young men to control themselves. 7 Do what is good. Set an example for them in everything. When you teach, be honest and serious. 8 No one can question the truth. So teach what is true. Then those who oppose you will be ashamed. That’s because they will have nothing bad to say about us. 9 Teach slaves to obey their masters in everything they do. Tell them to try to please their masters. They must not talk back to them. 10 They must not steal from them. Instead, they must show that they can be trusted completely. Then they will make the teaching about God our Savior appealing in every way.

Teaching is an important part of any active church.

This passage is part of a larger text from the apostle Paul who was passing on some tips to Titus around the subject of teaching in the church. It is interesting that Paul didn’t have a set list of topics to teach but instead his main concern was for Titus to teach his church how to behave in everyday life.

Paul’s main emphasis to Titus was to teach self-control and ‘set an example by everything you do’. Paul knew that ‘actions speak louder than words’ and the best way to teach is by example.

This leads me to wonder what examples am I setting for the people around me. What messages are people learning about the Gospel from observing my actions in daily life. I have found this quite a sobering experience and not always easy to face but a valuable exercise.

So, take the opportunity throughout the day to be mindful of your actions and what messages you are teaching people and it’s just possible you may learn some interesting things about yourself.

Lord, please reveal to me today one thing where my actions don’t match my words and empower me to make appropriate improvements so ‘your message’ is clear to others in ‘my actions’.

Written by David Newton