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Re: Bulletin Board [message #6941 is a reply to message #6904]

Sat, 06 March 2010 14:30

james
Messages: 2137
Registered: April 2008
Location: Birmingham, AL

Senior Member

Living a sober life...

"But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience." ~ Titus 2:1-2

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;" ~ Titus 2:11-12

Paul is instructing Titus to set in order the things that are wanting in the lives of the Christians in the area of Crete. And there are several things that he is pointing out besides being sober minded,(temperate, sound in faith, grave, patient, discreet, chaste, gentle, meek, guarding of the tongue, and zealous).

Also he points out the things in their lives that was sin and needed to be repented of...greed, vain talking, deceptions, disobedience, foolish, serving divers lusts and pleasures, contentions, striving about the law, envious of one another, and having hate in their hearts towards each other.

Paul says that many of these sins were in many Christians lives before salvation, BUT, he says that after God saved them there was changes, no longer were they caught up in the ways of the world.

"But after that the kindness and the love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;" ~ Titus 3:4-6

The transformation of our minds is not an over night happening, it takes disiplined study of The Word (II Tim.2:15); a yeilded and obedient heart; prayer time with The Lord; and time. There's a difference between living a sober minded life and being the life of the party type individual. Vain babblings, foolish gesting, scoffing, mocking, striving and critizing others, always casting doubts, these things ought not to be named amongest Christians.

This was written almost 2,000 years ago, yet the problem is as prevalent today as then. And how much closer are we to the return of Jesus than they were? It's a time to be sober minded, serious about the things of God, preparing for and focused on, the Kingdom of God...not this kingdom of man on earth.

"But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.

And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will." ~ II Tim. 2:23-26

We see by these last scriptures that it is possible to receive repentance and to get out of the snare that Satan has caught people in...people who are 'opposing themselves'. How? Repent and start acknowledging/obeying/living the truth...which is?

LIVE SOBERLY...

[Updated on: Sat, 06 March 2010 18:12]

“But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,”

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