November 11

Day 242 (and after waiting out a power outage): Facing Reality Head On

Like any good coach, the apostle Paul would interact differently, depending on who he was interacting with. For young pastor Timothy in Ephesus, it was encouragement and gentle instruction. For young pastor Titus on the island of Crete, it was all about facing reality head on.

In chapter 1, Paul instructs Titus to “Put what remains into order.” This is Bible speak for “Get to fixing what is broken.” Two initiatives in this: Teach gospel doctrine, and make sure you appoint the right kind of elders.

The broken thing needing fixing was the people themselves. He had inherited a mess. Paul even quotes from and then agrees with a Cretan prophet who said, “All Cretans are liars.” It was thus incumbent upon Titus to face the reality of who his people were, and lead them to a new reality of gospel living.

This is why so much of Paul’s short letter to Titus talks about “being ready for good works.” Meaning, Titus would first have to lead by example, and then insist that his followers do the very same.

Without a firm grasp of reality, Titus would initially and ultimately fail in the task assigned to him. And the Christians in Crete would be nothing more than Christians in name only.

We are all capable of being Cretans. We’re all capable of being liars. The vast majority of the lies we tell are the lies we tell ourselves. And the consequences of deceit are usually greater than the one of the truth.

Its’ not that we purposefully lie; it’s that we don’t always get all of the parts of our reality.

We must be in touch with what is, not what we wish things were, or think things should be, or are led by others to believe they are. Spending time in some alternative universe that does not exist to make the one that we are living in feel better is a short-term illusion.

Reality, the way things really are, is our best friend.

We tend to waffle between two extremes. The one extreme is thinking our life’s circumstances even our own sin is without hope, beyond redemption. (Deuteronomy 33:27 would say otherwise.)

More likely, we think we are, including the net results of our own sin, positioned in better standing than we actually are. (Romans 8:8-9 would say otherwise.)

The gospel states our reality in unmistakably clear terms: I am a far greater sinner than I think I am. And Jesus is a far greater savior than I think He is.

The gospel calls each of us to accept this dual reality. And not be afraid to face our reality head on.

-Mike Rydman, Lead Pastor, Radiant Church Juneau