Today's Scripture Reading (June 12, 2024): Titus 1
A friend of mine was murdered in May
2024. He joins a parade of friends and acquaintances who have passed away over
the years, most long before their time. Relatively few have been murdered. I
can think of only two who died from what I would call murder, but others have been
killed in accidents or misadventures. In the case of the friend who died in May
2024, maybe his demise at the hands of another should have been half-expected
and perhaps even anticipated.
Let me explain. Let's call my friend
Stuart (not his name). Stuart had led a somewhat rough and interesting life.
But as a direct result of the life that he had led, Stuart lived with a lot of
pain. He also lived with an addiction to drugs. Life had become a battle
between taking enough drugs to deal with both his pain and addictions, yet not
enough to further his addictions. But he had also become a Christian. Christ
and what Paul calls here the hope of eternal life were frequent topics of
conversation. Stuart longed for the hope of eternal life, something that Stuart
understood started here but would be finished somewhere else. And he was
working hard to get his life back together. The last time I saw him, his hair
was shorter, and his beard was trimmed into a neat van dyke. The change in
appearance didn't necessarily make him a better person, but it was a significant
indication that his life was changing.
While Stuart longed for the next
step in his spirituality, he also believed that suicide was a sin. And so,
despite his pain and additions, he was willing to wait for the next stage to
happen. At the same time, Stuart also recognized that there were people in his
life who would love to take his life away from him. And so, I received several
messages that began with "I don't believe in suicide" and ended with "If
I die, look into [insert person's name here]." Don't accept the easy
answer. Someone did this to me.
Paul wants Titus to know a couple of
things. The first is that God does not lie. There is no reason why he should.
God told Moses his name was "hiyah hiyah," I am who I am," or "I
will be who I will be." There couldn't be a more honest answer. God is who
he is, with no pretense or concern for what we might think. All of this leads us
to understand that he has no reason to lie.
Second, Paul tells Titus that this
God who does not lie promised a hope for the eternal. This is not a hope in the
same way that we hope to win the lottery. It is more of an expectation of the
life that is to come. It is the anticipation of a life that has been promised
by a God who does not lie.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Titus
2 & 3
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