Titus 1:15-16

Passage

All things are pure to the ones who are pure.  But to the ones who have been defiled and to the unbelieving nothing is pure.  They have been defiled: themselves and their minds and their conscience.  They confess to know God but they deny Him by their works while being detestable and disobedient and unfit for all good work.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

All things are pure to those who are pure.  This is the same thing as Jesus saying that it is not what goes into a person that defiles them.  What is important is the heart.  What is important is the motivation.  Those who are doing what God asks of them are not defiled by following Him.

How pure is your heart?  How do you know when your heart is pure?  How do you know when you are following God?

Second Thought:

 On the flipside, there is nothing that is pure to those whose heart is already defiled.  Charitable acts done by someone who does not have the heart for charity are not really charitable acts.  A person who gives to charity but for their own personal gain really isn’t being charitable.  A person who does what God asks but does it with no sense of obedience isn’t really submitting to God.  If our heart is defiled, our actions are defiled regardless of what they are.

When are you likely to be defiled?  Have you ever tried to be charitable when your heart wasn’t really in it?  How does that feel?

Third Thought:

Paul then acknowledges that it is quite possible to confess to know the Lord with one’s lips but actually be detestable, disobedient, and unfit for good work.  Just because someone says that they know God doesn’t mean that they do.  Rather, only those who both confess with their lips and whose actions support their confession can really be trusted.

How does this make you feel?  Have you ever come across someone who confessed with their lips but you had trouble believing it when you looked at their life?  Have you ever been in a position of not acting in a manner that your lips professed?  How did you fix that problem?

Passage for Tomorrow: Titus 2:1-2