Oct 12, 2018
Remind the people to
be subject to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good,
Titus 3:1
Living in faith
instead of selfishness is not natural, so we need to remind each other to do
it.
Someone once said that men don’t need to be taught, they need
to be reminded. Maybe that’s why our mothers
repeated themselves so often!
It must be true, because we look for reminders all the
time. We want the alarm to remind us
when to get up, and set up calendar entries for us to know when appointments
start. We write down tasks and
checklists so that we don’t forget to do things. Many people use reading plans to remind
themselves what to read next. Signs
remind us what laws need to be followed while we drive, and commercials are
rerun regularly so we ‘remember’ to buy the products they sell. The truth is, we need reminded a LOT!
That just shows how quickly our behavior declines without
having reminders. God knew that about
us, and even wrote the Bible so that we would be reminded constantly (if we
would read it). He also commissioned
prophets and teachers to keep reminding us regularly.
Paul caught onto this truth, and instructed Titus to make
that his pattern. Titus didn’t need to
be original or innovative, he just needed to be disciplined and continuing reminding
people of what to do. Being the reminder
for people is not always pleasant.
Often, people know they need reminded, but don’t always like the
reminders. Jesus is a good example of
that --- they crucified Him for His message.
Yet the message Paul & Titus were given was worthy of being restated
often. In fact, the Gospel is a message
we need to hear DAILY (even more often than that at times).
Jesus also recognized our need for reminders. So He instituted the practice of communion
(The Lord’s Supper), so that we would never forget the Gospel message. Every time we gather, Jesus encouraged us to
remember His death and resurrection, so that we would be encouraged to live for
Him. We need that reminder, so Jesus
used the common elements of food and drink to help us keep remembering.
Don’t be so negative about reminders. REMEMBER, they are gifts to help us grow
and improve, avoiding the natural decline our behavior tends to go. Be submissive, be obedient, and be ready to act. (Those are reminders worth hearing
regularly!)
And maybe it’s a good time to thank your mom (or other
caring persons) for giving you reminders.
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