Titus 2:1 You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine.

What follows might not seem very “spiritual” to some people, but it’s enormously practical. Simply put, Paul is saying that believers are to be good people. There’s nothing here about special rituals, esoteric things that would mark believers as different. In a sense, it’s just common sense, but that can be all too uncommon. This is in direct contrast to what some groups have done, such as snake-handling churches, where people had to “prove their faith,” or churches that forbade marriage, or any of a number of other activities to prove they were “set apart.” The distinctive of a disciple of Jesus Christ is that they know Him, and so communicate with their Creator on a regular basis. That by itself is plenty to set us apart from the world at large! The sad thing is that this isn’t emphasized in many churches, so people end up with a very hazy knowledge of and relationship with Christ, to the point that their world view is indistinguishable from that of all the people around them. And this isn’t limited to “the people in the pews.” There is a current US politician who is a seminary graduate, but his public pronouncements are downright bizarre. He may know Paul’s letter to Titus in his mind, but he certainly doesn’t practice what it says! We are to be the most “normal” people around. Our biggest distinctive should be the hope of eternal life that we have in Christ, and the peace that results from that. (1 Peter 3:15) If our personal goal is deeper fellowship with Christ, then all of this will flow naturally from that, not by our power but by His.

I have been an outlier most of my life, growing up as a Caucasian in Japan, a Missionary Kid attending a US Air Force dependents school, and on and on. I have felt isolated and rejected many times and in many ways, but as my own daughters were reminding me in an online chat just yesterday, there’s no such thing as “normal.” The guidelines Paul lays out here to Titus should be quite sufficient. I am to value each person as an individual, and at the same time promote the “sound doctrine” Paul talks about. I am to encourage each person in their unique gifting, and at the same time point out how to fit together smoothly with the other people. There will be friction, certainly, as comes out pretty much daily, but the “oil of the anointing” should help greatly with that. As a pastor and spiritual father, I am to cherish the children in my care, while remembering that they are God’s children far more than they are mine.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me live it out, particularly today, when we not only have a praise and testimony service, we have a barbecue in the parking lot afterward. May I not try to “bull through” in my own strength and wisdom, but rather allow You to fill and guide me, so that Your will may be done in every detail, on Your schedule and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!