The letter to Titus (Part 10)

One of the convictions believers must hold dearly is the fact that we have been saved to do good works. In his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul wrote that “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10). Doing good work includes being submissive to authority. The Bible speaks against rebellion and equates it with witchcraft. When Saul failed to wait for Samuel’s arrival before presenting an offering to God, Samuel told Saul that “rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” (‭1 Samuel 15:23). Because Saul failed to obey the words of Samuel, Saul was rejected as king. It is therefore important that believers are reminded of the need to be obedient to rulers and authorities.

Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good (‭Titus 3:1)

In his letter to Titus, Paul succinctly admonished Titus to remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good (‭Titus 3:1). Submission to rulers and authorities is our godly responsibility. Believers are admonished several times in scripture to be intentional in obeying their leaders. In our obedience,  we should also be ready to do whatever is good. This point is very important and necessary. Our obedience to authority should not be a yardstick for disobeying God. We should do what is good and eschew whatever is evil. If the demands of rulers and authorities require us disobeying the words of God, we should know where our allegiance and priorities are.

Service to man, they say, is service to God. However, not all services to humanity are God-glorifying. As we make a conscious effort to be subjected to authority, we should also understand that any authority, institution, laws and regulations that contradicts the word of God should be approached with all caution. Our goal is to be ready to do whatever is good. For example, God created the world for humankind to dwell on it. Any activity that promotes the destruction of the natural vegetation, animals, hurting or extermination of humans, among others are activities we should stay away from. Whether you voted for your current leader or you did not vote, their authority over you should be viewed from the viewpoint of obedience not disobedience. Christianity is a lifestyle that must be lived intentionally. The rulers and authorities might not be our favourite people, yet, we are reminded to be subject unto them and be ready to do whatever is good. This is part of our salvation journey.

Go to the ant and consider its ways!

Several years ago, my parents used to have a farm which was far away from the house. There was no means of transportation to the farm as at that time, so the journey to the farm was made by walking on a long path, on stones, stepping on a couple of anthills accidentally and crossing a little stream. As a child, the only motivation of going to the farm was the free view of beautiful vegetation and admiring other people who were also trekking to the farm. I specifically loved the anthills along the way and the busyness of the ants who dragged their food to their castle. The teamwork, the determination and the persistence of the ants were admirable. We lived in a tropical zone and the rainfalls were torrential rains that mostly caused the little stream along the way to the farm to flood. Humans struggled to cross the stream at its flood state but the ants would be in their anthill enjoying the food they had saved for the period. What does this teach us about life? 

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. (Proverbs 6:6‭-‬8)

First, the ants are not lazy, they invest in food for the future. While the weather is good and jolly, they work to store food. No ant is left out, the team of ants or an ant colony with queen(s), workers and male ants work together to ensure a good storage. No ant is aimless or lazy. There is orderliness and that is why their population never reduces. You may spray out a bunch of them today, but they will be around tomorrow. They don’t give up. Proverbs 6:6-8 admonished the sluggard or the lazy person to do this: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” Maybe you have accidentally stepped on and killed a couple of ants, maybe you care less about ants, maybe you hate them for taking over your home, maybe you are just not an ant person etc. Most of us are just like that, we would rather live an ant-free lives than to bother studying ants. However, we cannot miss this, the ants teach us about life.

When we understand that “a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man” (Proverbs 6:10‭-‬11), we will make some important ant-steps to prepare for the future. For example, we engage in work to be able to take care of ourselves, help others and invest into the future. Ants are economical; they don’t consume all their food at a go, they invest the rest for the future. Ants are teamwork specialists; they know how to work together to achieve a definite goal. Ants have orderliness in their colony; they have the queen(s), the workers, the male ants etc. This structure helps them to achieve their goals of saving for the future and also ensures sustainability. Ants may all look alike, but none goes unnoticed. No ant hides under the guise that all of them look the same and avoid work. The anthill is for all the ants, no ant is homeless! No ant is poor, no ant is an orphan and no ant is different. All the ants work together to store their provisions in summer and gather food in the harvest. 

The Creator is worthy to receive glory, honour and power!

Alexander Graham Bell is well noted for inventing the telephone. His invention was patented on March 7, 1876. Bell was still very young and must have been proud that he had made a device that allowed humans to communicate over wires. The revolutionary technology of the telephone has gone through different stages and has transformed from a box device to a handheld tool that does not require wires to operate. In fact, in 2014, while on a Norwegian airlines flight,  I connected to the wifi and was chatting with friends down below. Is that not amazing! Now, we can be on earth and get messages sent to us from Mars, from the moon, under the water etc. The technology of the telephone has really advanced. Mr. Bell is accredited for the concept and creation of the telephone but we cannot credit him with the latest technological advances in telephony. I am sure, if Mr. Bell could be given a second chance on earth, he would be amazed that we make calls via watches, microchips (inserted into stuff) and via Bluetooth. He would have been wowed by the advances of what he started as a box device.

However, God’s creation has not changed over the 1000s of years the world has been around. Creation has not undergone production changes. Humans have not moved from walking creatures to flying birds; the tree still stand root down and branches up; the water bodies are still on earth and not in the sky; babies still need a male and a female to make (even if it is scientifically manipulated); dogs don’t behave like chicken and birds still lay eggs (they don’t push their babies out from wombs). The structures and systems in the world have gone through a considerable change. Our buildings have changed; our education systems have changed; scientific research has given humanity access to previously inaccessible places but the earth remains in its place. It has not fallen into space and neither has it moved further away from the sun and the moon. I appreciate all inventions and I honour all inventors but their works will always be modified! However, God’s creation has never changed!

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (Revelation 4:11)

Of course, humans are always looking for ways and means to change their look, appearances and all that. For example, as someone with typical African hair, it is possible to see me in the morning with my real hair, in the afternoon with extension and in the evening with a wig! I keep changing my looks but God who created all things has not changed and neither has he changed the appearances of His creation. When we consider all these and many more, our response should be praise, adoration and worship. Indeed, our God is the greatest Creator and his works bear witness. Let us join the twenty-four elders is Heaven to lay down our crowns (pride, our own honour)and sing this song: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (Revelation 4:11)