Student Devotionals
Titus 3:5
Renewed by the Spirit to Love Others
Hi everyone! My name is Katie and this is my husband Jonathan. We are part of the staff for the National School Project and Meant for More Movement down here in Texas. We’re so happy to be with you guys and dig into God’s Word with you.
As we get started, I want to begin by sharing a quick story with you. When I was a kid, my mom, brother and I were taking a long trip through the southern states in the middle of summer in a van without air conditioning. Needless to say, it was hot! My brother and I were sitting in the back seat. We started arguing and got into a fight. We had just opened a big container of bubble gum and decided that it would be a great weapon in our argument we were having with each other. For about half an hour, my brother and I were chewing gum and sticking it in each other’s hair... in 100 degree heat! By the way, my hair was past my hips at that age, so there was plenty of hair for that gum to get stuck in!
My poor mom was completely unaware of what was going on in the back seat until she finally got tired of the arguing, and with the notorious “I’m pulling this van over!” declaration, quickly slammed on the brakes on the side of the road. When she turned around, she saw me and my brother covered with melted bubble gum in our hair. I was terrified at what was about to happen as I realized what we had done!
Have you ever felt like this? Terrified because you just messed up so bad or made too big of a mistake that God would never forgive you? How many of us feel the need to make up for that mistake?
Because of all the mistakes I have made, I have sometimes struggled with the fear that I needed to earn God’s love and acceptance. In doing so, I basically put God in a “human box,” treating him like all the other people that I have to earn approval from. Have you maybe done the same thing?
I have two questions for you. Is it possible to earn God’s love? And does God’s love and acceptance depend on our righteous deeds? Let’s look at what God teaches us in Titus 3:5:
“...He saved us, not because of works done by righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.”
Two verses earlier, verse 3 reveals our problem: “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.” This reminds us that we have not always treated others the way God would have us treat them. We are sinners in need of a Savior.
However, verses 4 and 5 then say, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
And there is the answer! These verses show us God’s love for us and how we should treat others. God’s love is freely given to us, not because we deserved it, but because of His mercy. His love is never ending. That is why it’s wrong to compare human love to the way God loves us. It is in a completely different category!
But sometimes we get a glimpse of God’s love by those around us. For me, I saw that in my mom on that awful summer day when I got bubble gum in my hair. Her first response when seeing my long, blonde hair all matted up with gum was, “I should just shave your head!” But, she knew how much I loved my hair, so instead of giving me what I deserved, do you know what she did? She sat for two hours in the hot sun, smothered my hair with peanut butter, and combed every single piece of gum out of my hair. It was a mess I had made, and I deserved for her to just shave my head. However, my mom showed me grace in the middle of a big mistake I had made.
And God is no different! He shows each of us grace, especially through the forgiveness of our sins and the renewal of the Holy Spirit. We should treat others with the same love. I know that for some of us, the “renewing of the Holy Spirit” is a super “churchy” phrase. But it is a lot like my mom taking the time to comb every bit of gum out of my hair to make it clean and beautiful. I didn’t deserve it, but it was the unconditional way that mom loved me. When we look back at how the Holy Spirit renews us, we see that this means we are now able to produce the Fruits of the Spirit, such as how we treat others.
So, how should we apply what Titus is talking about to our personal walks with God and how we respond to those around us? Here are two ideas:
1. Show mercy to those around you.
Sometimes we pick and choose who we want to show mercy and grace to. But God shows us grace when the truth is, none of us deserve it. Is there maybe a person in your life that you retaliate against with how you act toward them or maybe what you say to them? You may say, “well, you just don’t even know how they hurt me.” But, have you thought about how we have hurt the Lord with our sin? There is nothing we can do to earn this grace and He pours buckets and buckets of grace out on us every single day. Being called to follow Christ means pouring out that grace He so generously gives to us on others.
So, what are ways you can show mercy and grace to those around you this week? During this season, maybe it’s showing grace to your younger sibling who is just getting on your last nerve. Maybe it’s showing grace to your parents as they are stressed or worried during these uncertain times. Maybe it’s showing grace to your friends and peers who are making poor decisions. What does it look like for you to be the example of Jesus in the life of those around you? How can YOU be a testimony of God’s grace? We must remember that it is only by His grace, mercy and the renewing we receive by the Holy Spirit that we are able to show this love to others.
2. Love others because you are saved, not to be saved.
You cannot earn your salvation or “brownie points” with God. Our good works cannot save us. The bible says in Isaiah that our works are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). As The Passion Translation paraphrases Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it was only through this wonderful grace that we believed in him. Nothing we did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the gracious gift from God that brought us to Christ! So no one will ever be able to boast, for salvation is never a reward for good works or human striving.” How beautiful is that? Not only does God freely give us salvation, but we get to take part in building His kingdom and sharing that love by the gift of His Holy Spirit and the renewal that He brings to us.
How amazing is the grace of God? Can you imagine a life without it? I know that I am continually in awe of how much our Father loves us. The Holy Spirit is the one that allows us to pour out this love and mercy onto others. This is one of greatest testimony we as believers have. How can you be that testimony to those around you this week and be an overflow of God’s grace and mercy?
-Katie and Jonathan Medina