The Difference Maker

The Difference Maker.  Titus 2.11, 14

Hi. 

Did you like kindergarten?  The only thing I learned about kindergarten was via my four children; I didn’t go.  I did however like first grade, even though Mrs. Crawford whacked me with a paint stick for talking in class.  Here’s the thing--with one hundred percent certainty, I can say that if you are reading this, you did not get stuck in kindergarten … you moved on, you moved up, you learned, you studied and you grew.  Hang on to that thought for a moment~

We find ourselves at an intersection, having cracked open Paul’s letter to Titus.  Titus was one heck of a man, by all accounts, possessing amazing character traits we all ought wish to claim.¹ And then I challenged you to take a look at yourself and your life, ‘are you living a life that will one day allow you to say, ‘I lived one very great life, I have few regrets’… Beyond that, we realize that this letter of Paul’s was to charge Titus to keep the gospel of Christ the main thing in his teaching to the church on the isle of Crete, just as he had instructed Timothy about his leadership of the church at Ephesus.    

The message with which Titus was charged ~  For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people…  who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own … Titus 2.11,14

The grace of God appeared … oh yes it did!  And his name was Jesus!  God sent Jesus so that we might have relationship with him … forever.  You see, in life, and in death, Jesus is the difference maker.  Jesus is the reason being ‘spiritual’ is such a preposterous notion!  Paul wrote, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”² What makes faith sincere is not how devout or how faithful we are to its object—no!  One can be ever so loyal, so committed, and sincere, and yet be sincerely wrong.  Doubt me--ever hear of the Hitler youth?  What makes faith sincere is the Object of our faith. 

Being ‘spiritual,’ as is so trendy in western culture today, simply means one is interested in things that affect the human spirit, and recognizes that as human beings, we are comprised of body and spirit.  Having our awareness heightened enough to consider our spiritual selves is a great place to start, but not the place to stay; like kindergarten is a great place to start, but it is just a starting place, a launching pad, not the place to end.  Actually, that is a really good analogy.  Playing with Playdoh, folding our legs crisscross applesauce is fine, and playing dress up is great for kindergarten development, but is not the stuff maturity is made of … well except maybe for the dress up part.  (ha)

Once we realize that we do indeed have a soul, next questions must be asked -- Is this life all there is?  Where did I come from?  What is the meaning of life?  And when one’s search is intellectually honest, it indeed forces a reckoning with one Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who stands alone as the key figure in all of history.

‘But wait,’ you say, ‘my spirituality is a rather eclectic blend of my catholic upbringing, some of the things I extracted in college from Buddhism, and well, I am quite taken as well with the New Age principle that I am a god myself!  What is wrong with taking from all of these religions?  Oh, and I do like Jesus too.’  Oh, but my dear, can’t you see—it can’t be Jesus plus these other things!  As Paul wrote to Titus, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people…  who gave himself for us, to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own…”  ~ sincere faith, one that is based on Someone who is real, who is true, one who was willing to give his life, so that we might have life. 

I love this, spoken by one of my favorite thinkers, “Because I make my living as a university professor and philosopher I am frequently asked, in so many words, "Why do you follow Jesus Christ?" My answer is always the same: "Who else did you have in mind?" I am open, I am willing, and I always seek to know more. But so far I have found no one who remotely compares to Jesus Christ as a practical guide to how things are and should be in human life. He proves to be one who is in touch with reality in depth and who guides me evermore into a life that comes to terms with evil in all of its dimensions. He brings us into the path leading to an experiential solution for the problems of evil.³” 

Oh yes, Jesus is the Difference Maker.  See, one can choose to be spiritual, perhaps even religious, but will continue to miss the joy of knowing Truth ~ the Difference Maker, my Jesus ~ one will miss walking with Love every day – my Jesus, my joy, my reason for being, the one who gives my life meaning and purpose.  Jesus is the Difference Maker.

Christine

PastorWoman.com