GOD Morning! November 1 / Slanderers

GOD Morning!

November 1 / Slanderers

 

Titus 2 (Amplified Bible) 

2 ³ Bid the older women similarly to be reverent and devout in their deportment as becomes those engaged in sacred service, not slanderers or slaves to drink. They are to give good counsel and be teachers of what is right and noble,

Slander 

noun

LAW

1.    1.

the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation.

"he is suing the TV network for slander"

o     

verb

1.    1.

make false and damaging statements about (someone).

"they were accused of slandering the head of state"

synonyms:

defame (someone's character), blacken someone's name, tell lies about, speak ill/evil of, sully someone's reputation, libel, smear, cast aspersions on, spread scandal about, besmirch, tarnish, taint

I used to be a slanderer. Not proud of this. In my 20’s I was the classic, Bible definition of a Pharisee. I was clean on the outside, but the inside was full of garbage. Church was a social club to me. Ouch. Painful to admit, but I have to be real. Thank God I am not that person anymore.

By the way, It's impossible to be a Godly Christian and a slanderer at the same time. The two can't coexist.

Romans 1:28-30 (Amplified Bible)

 And so, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God or approve of Him or consider Him worth the knowing, God gave them over to a base and condemned mind to do things not proper or decent but loathsome,

29 Until they were filled (permeated and saturated) with every kind of unrighteousness, iniquity, grasping and covetous greed, and malice. [They were] full of envy and jealousy, murder, strife, deceit and treachery, ill will and cruel ways. [They were] secret backbiters and gossipers,

30 Slanderers, hateful to and hating God, full of insolence, arrogance, [and] boasting; inventors of new forms of evil, disobedient and undutiful to parents.

31 [They were] without understanding, conscienceless and faithless, heartless and loveless [and] merciless.

32 Though they are fully aware of God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them themselves but approve and applaud others who practice them.

Continuing in Titus...

⁴ So that they will wisely train the young women to be sane and sober of mind (temperate, disciplined) and to love their husbands and their children,

⁵ To be self-controlled, chaste, homemakers, good-natured (kindhearted), adapting and subordinating themselves to their husbands, that the word of God may not be exposed to reproach (blasphemed or discredited).

Self controlled? Chaste? Homemakers? Good? Kindhearted? Adapting and subordinating to their husbands?

This seems hard. Some of you may read this and say, well, that settles it for me. I can’t be a Christian if I have to be all that.

Oh but we can! We can be all that! When we submit ourselves to Jesus Christ, spending the first portion of our morning with Him, we can change. Just ask my husband. I have changed drastically. I once was the opposite of all of these. But I kept going to church. I kept trying. And I started taking baby steps. I started talking to Jesus about my shortcomings. I just laid it out there. I was real with Him.

I started to change! For years it was a slow process because I slipped back a lot. But I found that the more time I spent with Him, the more I became like Him!

⁷ And show your own self in all respects to be a pattern and a model of good deeds and works, teaching what is unadulterated, showing gravity [having the strictest regard for truth and purity of motive], with dignity and seriousness.

⁸ And let your instruction be sound and fit and wise and wholesome, vigorous and irrefutable and above censure, so that the opponent may be put to shame, finding nothing discrediting or evil to say about us.

All we have to do is continue being a Godly example. Teaching and living truth. God will put our opponent to shame!

⁹ [Tell] bond servants to be submissive to their masters, to be pleasing and give satisfaction in every way. [Warn them] not to talk back or contradict,

¹⁰ Nor to steal by taking things of small value,

(Boom. It’s right here in scripture. God doesn’t miss a beat! He nails it! Down to addressing a seemingly insignificant sin such as “taking things of small value!” I am in awe right now. And chuckling.)

but to prove themselves truly loyal and entirely reliable and faithful throughout, so that in everything they may be an ornament and do credit to the teaching [which is] from and about God our Savior.

¹¹ For the grace of God (His unmerited favor and blessing) has come forward (appeared) for the deliverance from sin and the eternal salvation for all mankind.

¹² It has trained us to reject and renounce all ungodliness (irreligion) and worldly (passionate) desires, to live discreet (temperate, self-controlled), upright, devout (spiritually whole) lives in this present world,

Yes, living the above scripture is entirely possible. With the power of the Holy Ghost living in us.

¹³ Awaiting and looking for the [fulfillment, the realization of our] blessed hope, even the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One),

¹⁴ Who gave Himself on our behalf that He might redeem us (purchase our freedom) from all iniquity and purify for Himself a people [to be peculiarly His own, people who are] eager and enthusiastic about [living a life that is good and filled with] beneficial deeds.

¹⁵ Tell [them all] these things. Urge (advise, encourage, warn) and rebuke with full authority. Let no one despise or disregard or think little of you [conduct yourself and your teaching so as to command respect].

Let's pray...

“Dear Jesus, I want to pattern my life after You. I know I make a LOT of mistakes. Sometimes I feel discouraged as I try to follow Your example. On my own, I simply CAN’T do it. But through the power of the Holy Ghost working in me, I CAN do it! Thanks for Your encouraging Word of Truth! Praise Your Holy Name, Jesus! AMEN.”