God’s Word is there to guide and help us learn to walk through life in the right way. Sometimes a phrase can keep you busy for a while. Like a “life that honors God” in verse 12: to assume a life filled with God and that honors God. It kept me thinking for two days. I kept asking what he really wanted to tell me about how I should live.
In fact, I was freaked out when I looked around on Google to see what it meant. A life that honors God is to be sincere, and sincerity, I believe, means to be honest, real, genuine, full of truth, warm, from the bottom of your heart, serious, passionate, unpretentious, in good faith, etc.
Wow, a sentence says a lot of things and I read it over and over again. Maybe you should too.
But as I look deeper to understand it better, I see that it can also include “justice.” A life that honors God can then mean that we must live wisely and justly.
I go back to Google and, as expected, there are a whole series of words to describe justice: be good, virtuous, upright, sincere, decent, worthy, ethical, principled, fair, honest, innocent, irreproachable, honorable, against the corruption. , holy, pure, noble, devout, pious, etc.
Woof! Once again, I sit back and read these words over and over again.
I don’t know about you, but with many of these words I can’t check the box. Some of them do not describe my actions one hundred percent. And I feel bad about it. I try hard, but sometimes I just lose it and honesty and justice slip out the back door.
This discourages me and I realize that if I let go of the wheel right now, I am going to drop into a deep black hole.
I remember a baby who wants to start walking. It takes a lot of falls and lifts before baby gets it right. If the baby gives up because he falls so often, he will never learn to walk. And lose a lot.
Nor should we give up. We must not be discouraged. We shouldn’t be blinded by all the falls, because that will make you feel bummed and you’ll end up in that black hole.
Rather focus on getting up repeatedly. Sometimes we manage to be honest and fair. The next time we fall, that will help us get up faster, because we will know that we can.
We are all marked by the fall. We must realize that we will make mistakes from time to time. But we shouldn’t use that as an excuse, but rather as an encouragement to really try to resist weakness.
Let’s try to live with sincerity and justice. And if you take a good look at these two words, you will see that both are aspects of living right. Living a life that honors God means that we must do our best to live well in everything.
Holy Scripture
Titus 2: 11-14
Reflection
Where do you lack sincerity in your life?
Where is justice missing in your life?
What should you do differently?
Pray
Lord, help me to stop trying and to control situations and people as it suits me best. Help me to be honest and fair, even if it means I have to acknowledge my weaknesses or face a difficult situation that develops. It is very difficult, Lord, but that honors You, and I know You will help me deal with the consequences. In the name of Jesus, amen.