Daily Devotions
Grace & Obedience
Reading for December 17th: Titus-Philemon
The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devotethemselves to good works.
Titus 3:8
What is the "trustworthy" saying Paul is referring to here and what are "these things" he says Titus should insist?
In a word: GRACE! (Read Titus 3:4-7 for the context.)
Doesn't that seem strange? How is it that teaching on grace would encourage people to be careful to obey God? Why would grace motivate good works?
I think sometimes we fear grace because we doubt the ability of grace to motivate obedience and good works. We fear that if we truly embrace grace and completely immerse ourselves in it that we'll forget about our personal responsibility. We're afraid that if we talk about it too much or allow ourselves to meditate on it too much that we'll become careless and fail to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12).
But, as is so oftentimes the case, our intuition is backward. The reality is that when we talk about grace and think about grace and live in grace that it produces in us carefulness and seriousness and soberness in our daily struggle against sin. Nothing can motivate us to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" more than the thought that "it is God who works in us both to will and to do for his good pleasure."
Let us not forget that grace is both the beginning and the end of our salvation. It is not only the basis of our salvation, but it serves as the strongest and most reliable motivation for our obedience.
Father, may our thoughts about your grace motivate us to more consistent and devoted obedience in your sight!
