Be Good

Be Good.   Titus 3.1-2

You are dropping your son off at Grandma’s house, and on your way back to the car, you sling, ‘Be good!’  You’re running to catch a plane, won’t be home for a couple weeks, and as you hug your tween-age daughter good bye, you say, ‘Now be good!’ 

Paul told Titus to teach what is good, and to teach believers to always be ready to do what is good … in short, just ‘Be good!’ Paul’s admonition to Titus was hardly revolutionary; actually in the Psalms, David wrote, ‘Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.’¹   Jesus taught similarly, ‘In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.’² And while Paul talked about his own struggle with sin—‘When I want to do good, evil is right there with me’³ ~ he nonetheless taught throughout his writing that Christ followers are ‘to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.’⁴

Goodness is perplexing.  Most people who believe in life after death believe that they are going to heaven… why?  Because they are good people. Wish I had a dollar for every time I have heard that.  Goodness appeals to our sense of fairness, does it not?  It also supports the notion that God is fair, and he has a good heart.  Only problem is God made it clear that ‘nothing we do can save us’ … or make us good enough.  We cannot be good or righteous on our own.  ‘Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.’⁵ And in case you are feeling a bit holy, you might be, but "No one is righteous--not even one,”⁶ Paul reaffirming and quoting the psalmist David. 

Taking a look now at Titus chapter three~ ’Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good. They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone.’ Titus 3.1-2

Ready to do what is good – huh, is ‘what is good’ defined right in these verses? Let’s see … doing what is good includes being obedient to God, not slandering anyone, not fighting, being gentle and being humble.  Certainly these give us a good start!  Those are definite earmarks of the person who wishes to do what is good, but not the starting point, the launching pad, or the containment of doing what is good. 

As Paul writes to Titus here is not just coming to the end of a long ministry, but also to the end of his life . . . he has already written ten other letters, which include one to the Colossians, (living in an area of what is today the southwest corner of Turkey). In the early part of his letter to these young believers, he thanks God for the strong faith they had in Jesus that produced love for people, and many good other good things.  The Launchpad for doing what is good is a sincere faith in Jesus Christ.  Take a look at what is spawned through that:  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians+1.3-12&v...

For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.

This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.

You learned about the Good News from Epaphras, our beloved co-worker. He is Christ’s faithful servant, and he is helping us on your behalf. He has told us about the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you.

So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. Colossians 1.4-6,9-12

Please notice the orange!  When we place our faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit makes a home in our hearts, and he changes us—from the inside out!  Love grows where it had been dead or dormant, and as Paul says above, God’s word equips us with the knowledge of his will for us—giving us godly wisdom and understanding.  And from those, goodness flows; there is no stopping it!  To do what is good then you and I need fan the flames of the Holy Spirit who is within us, and obey that which we know God tells us to do. 

Faith that is alive produces a desire to please God which translates into love for others, humility, and a servant’s heart.  I believe when God looks at you and me and says ‘Be good’, he is saying ‘stay close to me, obey me, and I’ve got this!’

Christine