Scripture
3Once 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. 4But—
When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5he 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. 6He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life. 8This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone. Titus 3:3-8
Observation
Paul reminds the church to remember that they too were once slaves to sin and in desperate need of the love of God. Paul is taking us back to our B.C. days when we were hated and hating on others. He brings us back to bring us forward and remember why we have been saved, not judge others but serve others. The longer we are saved the easier it gets to forget what we have been saved from and why. He’s telling the Christians to not get caught up in controversies, endless debates, fruitless arguments, and pointless divisions. Paul brings us back to the fact that we can’t ever pay Jesus back for His unconditional love but we can pay it forward to those who are stuck in sin the way we once were.
Application
My friend Pastor Alex Michel passed away this past week after a tragic accident. I had the privilege of serving under him as my Foursquare Divisional leader and alongside him as a minister of the gospel on Oahu. During his ministry he coined the phrase “living an “L-shaped” life. In that, God has called every Christian to live out loving God and loving others on a daily basis. This wasn’t just something he taught, it was something he lived. Whether it was those he discipled at New Hope Town (now Encounter Hawaii), those he met out on the waves during a surf session, or his own kids, Alex lived out the L shaped life. He has left us too soon. He has left us a legacy to live out. Like the Apostle Paul, Alex is challenging us to live upwards and outwards, like an “L”, looking for ways to serve God by serving others. In fact, Alex’s final words to me at Thanksgiving a few weeks ago were of love and care for our family. Just a few days ago Alex posted about his brother Bobby and these words about him are really words about himself and hopefully words about how each one of us will learn to live the “L-shaped” Life:
My sister shared this with me today. It was taken on 10/2/11 of me and my brother, Bobby. Some people add so much life to you that you just can’t put into words the good they bring into it. He went home to be with the Lord 2 years ago. I miss him deeply. Yet, because of the promise of eternal life that we both shared in our faith in Jesus I KNOW I will see him again. In fact, the next time I see this smile and embrace we will never have to say goodbye again. 🙌🏾💫🎉💛😊. In fact, in fact, I can’t wait to recreate this picture in heaven! We will ask Jesus to take it since we will both be there because of what He did for us on the cross. ☝🏾✝️💯🙌🏾😇. Funny, why do I get the feeling that He would be in between us smiling together. 😊💛😊💛. I love you, Bob. I’ll miss you forever until we are in forever together. Your brother, Alex #bestofthebest #thatsmybrother #sayhitomymomforme 😘 #theyjustmadeithomebeforewedid ✊🏾 #thankyouJesus🙏🏾
Prayer
Even now, Alex is showing me how walk through the grief in a good way with how he walked through it himself. What a powerful perspective. What a man of faith. His “L-Shaped Life” impacted so many and I’m so thankful for the time I had to serve alongside him. I look forward to that day when we too can take a selfie with You Jesus. He is with you now and is soaking it up with a big smile and a contagious laugh and is probably carving some incredibly heavenly waves with Peter. I’m still here, which means You have something left for me to do. Help me to live out an “L-Shaped Life” in loving you and loving those around me.
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