Setting My Eyes Straight

Read: Titus 1

"in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago," Titus 1:2

Examine:

The hope of eternal life and the absolute ability to trust in God's promises are the two things Paul called Titus back to in this verse. Titus' mission was revealed in verse five of this chapter. Paul left him to set in order the things that remained and to appoint elders. This was a tough and divisive work. I can only imagine the trials that Titus would face. In the salutation of this letter, Paul is calling Titus to keep his eyes set on the prize of eternal life and the irrevocable promises of God. As the weight of his mission pressed in on him, these two things would be his only constants.

Apply:

My eyes are not currently set on these things. My heart is heavy and my life feels out of control right now. The only certainty I can find seems to be the fact that nothing will be certain. Days twist and turn revealing new struggles and challenges. I retreat to places looking for rest and clarity and seem to find only turmoil and confusion. It hurts. It challenges my thinking, tests my faith, and pushes me to my limits. It is also exactly where God wants me.

God has a call on my life and I am running after that call. To move deeper into that call requires me to move deeper into His heart. Moving deeper into His heart requires a more complete emptying of myself. A more complete emptying of myself requires high levels of discomfort and challenge. God is not silent, He is not sitting on the sidelines, and He is not tormenting me. As a loving Father He is allowing me to struggle so that I may better learn to stand firm and strong. He is removing what is weak and replacing it with what is strong. He is taking away the broken things to which I cling, so that He can secure me with things that can never be shaken.

Pray:

Father, I need to confess my foolishness to You this morning. I feel hurt, isolated, alone and confused. I have allowed this pain to control my thoughts and behavior. The past two weeks have been excruciating. Your word has felt silent, my prayers have felt empty, and my strength has felt exhausted. Feelings are real, but they are not truth.

The truth is that I am never alone. The truth is I am not being beaten; I am being refined. The truth is You are not silent; You are active. I trust You completely. I return to You today to boldly confess that You alone are God of my life and You are worthy of all of my trust and praise. Your voice has led me to the place that I am right now and it is Your unshakable promise to complete Your work that will lead me out from here.

I invite You to continue to have Your way in my life. Open the eyes of my heart to see past the deceptive work of my emotions and allow me to see the true intentions of Your will. The mission ahead of me will require more of You and less of me. The more of You part sounds great. The less of me part requires a painful stripping of things that get in the way. You are good and I trust Your work in my life. Forgive me for forgetting that.