By James Burns
Titus was to exhort servants to
adorn the doctrine of God (Titus 2:9-10). They
were to do this by living faithful lives.
There was nothing they could do, nor is there
anything we can do, to improve on the doctrine of
God, but there are things that can draw more
favorable attention to it.
We can adorn the doctrine of God
by knowing the doctrine. Peter tells us to
“always be ready to give a defense” for our hope (1
Pe3ter 1:15). Knowing what we believe and why
we believe it can help leave a favorable impression
on an inquirer.
We can adorn the doctrine by good
works. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine
before men that they may see your good works and
glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
We can adorn the doctrine by
content-ed lives. When one can face the crises
of life with faith and hope, others will want to
know the source of such power. Paul said he
had learned how to be content under varying
circumstances of life (Philippians 4:11-13).
Certainly, Paul’s life adorned the doctrine of God.
We can adorn the doctrine by
letting people see that the church is important to
us. People know when we attend its services
and support its works.
We can adorn the doctrine of God
by “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in
the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). Jesus
prayed that those who believe on him might be one,
that the world might believe on him (John
17:20-21). He also said that by our loving one
another, others can see that we are his disciples
(John 13:35). The Jerusalem church was “of one
heart and one soul” (Acts 4:12). Let us in
these ways and in all other ways “adorn the doctrine
of God.”
- via THE SOWER,
a weekly publication of the Arthur Church of Christ,
Arthur, IL. Ron Bartanen, who serves as minister and
editor, may be contacted through the congregation's
website: http://www.arthurchurchofchrist.com
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