Daily EncouragementSample

True Christians are good people, as this chapter forcibly reminds us. They will be gracious members of the community - “subject to rulers and authorities” (verse 1), which is not easy sometimes. “The Cretans (among whom Titus worked),” Hendriksen points out, “were fretting and fuming under the Roman yoke.” True Christians will be ready to assist in good causes - “ready to do whatever is good” (vs 1) - and friendly and polite to all, not talking behind people’s backs (vs 2), truly devoted to a life of goodness (vs 14). True experience of God’s salvation makes bad people good. Before experiencing salvation we were living in sin - “at one time we too were foolish” (vs 3). Sin is characterized by foolishness, disobedience, deception, slavery, division - and we were sinners! Our experience of salvation, so changes us that our desire is “to concentrate upon a life of goodness.“ The effective way to produce good people is to emphasize the truths of the gospel. The danger is always present of thinking you can produce good works by just emphasizing good works! The fact is that holiness of life flourishes where the truths of the gospel are most deeply appreciated - “stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.”