December 15
1 Timothy 6:11-21; Titus 1:1-3:15; 2 Timothy 1:1-18
I stayed a little late at the end of call at the hospital because there were too many things going on. One woman came in and delivered very soon after arriving, another had been laboring all day, but the baby was going into distress while she was pushing which required a vacuum to assist, which resulted in a fairly extensive laceration. I was tired and my partners were already texting me as I was supposed to be on a conference call with them about a number of issues which had to be addressed in our office. I told them while walking through the hospital that I would call them as soon as I got into my car. Then, as I got out of the elevator and was about to turn into the garage, I saw a man with a bouquet of flowers, banging on the door of the physician's lounge. I asked if I could help him. He was agitated and said that he was there to kill himself. I asked him a few questions, then asked him to take a walk with me. I asked him if he knew Jesus. He stated to me that he was given a bad diagnosis with cancer and was given a period of time to live and that time was coming to an end. I talked to him about the God who loves him, about how God gets to determine when we arrive and when we leave this earth. I had him walk with me through the parking lot, up some staircases, and out to the other side of the hospital and onto the street. I then walked him into the ER and handed him off so that he could be helped physically and mentally. Our lives are not our own, and our schedules are not our own. God's appointments are not to be pushed off, thinking that our schedules supersede His.
We see a familiar greeting from Paul in Titus 1:1, "This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives." Being a "slave" of God is a term used previously by Paul, along with James and Jude (Jesus' half-brothers), and Peter in their letters. Often we get the wrong meaning of slave in this context. The better term would be "bondservant". These men were not take against their will, but willingly made their choice to be a slave of God. We get a picture of what this means as it is described in Exodus 21:5-6. Prophetically, we read in Isaiah 53:11, about Jesus, who was called a "servant", "When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins." We often fool ourselves believing that we are free. We are all slaves to one thing or another, as we read in Titus 3:3-7, "Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life."
You decide, either you be a slave to sin (whether you like to admit this or not), or be a bondservant to God. The choice is yours. When the disciples were arguing among themselves about who would be the greatest, listen to Jesus' words in Mark 9:35, "He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.” Once we decide who it is that we are serving, everything changes. The same message, the same opportunity is given but how it is received is completely different, as we read in Titus 1:15-16, "Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good." Though we will never achieve this completely this side of eternity, if we accept the role as "bond-servant" of Jesus Christ, everything will make more sense, even if the world seems to make less sense. Opportunities will present themselves, because they will be seen that way, rather than as aggravations to your day.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: