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Titus 2:14 - Do The Good Thing.

Titus 2:14: Do The Good Thing.

Titus 2:14 (NLT) He gave his life to free us from every kind of 
sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally 
committed to doing good deeds. 

COMMENTARY PEARL

   Joshua had recently prayed to ask Jesus to be his Savior and 
forgive his sins. When he heard about the church youth group, he figured 
it'd be a perfect way to grow in his new faith. Just one problem: the 
youth group usually started with some sort of competition. Dodgeball, 
kickball, capture the flag, duck-duck-goose - the game didn't matter, Josh 
was all about winning. Sometimes Josh's competitive juices took 
over, and he ended up cussing or pushing somebody. Every week he'd 
commit himself to not saying a bad word. Every game he'd fail. Finally, 
the youth pastor pulled Joshua aside and encouraged him to change 
his motivation. Instead of trying not to sin by avoiding bad 
language or getting too physical, he encouraged Josh to focus on doing 
something positive during the game. 
   The following week Joshua decided he wanted to say three nice 
things to his teammates or opponents as they competed together. Not 
only did Josh's attitude and language improve, but the other kids 
also started to look forward to playing with him. 
   Examine The Case
   What changed? When Joshua first attended youth group, he 
focused on not breaking one of God's laws. But as followers of Christ, 
we should strive to live according to his rules. Do you see the 
difference? Many Christians put so much effort into avoiding sin that they 
live rule-bound, joyless lives. God doesn't want us focused on what 
not to do, but on what he wants us to do. Our actions should change 
not only us, but also the people around us. When the youth pastor 
told Joshua to aim at doing good, it changed everything. 
   In the book of Titus, the apostle Paul explains to his young 
friend why Jesus gave his life for us. Through Jesus' death, we're 
cleansed from sin and able to focus on doing good deeds (Titus 2:14). 
With Jesus in our lives, we're free from sin. The writers of the 
Bible used many different words to describe sin. The most frequently 
used one means 'missing the mark.' And we'll miss the mark if we 
focus on avoiding the bad things instead of doing good things. When we 
totally commit ourselves to doing good deeds and following God, we will 
live energized lives and avoid sin's trappings. 
   Final Word
   "He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to 
cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to 
doing good deeds" Titus 2:14 NLT. [Case For Christ For Kids by Les 
Strobel] 

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2006/20061002-1938.html

ABible.com: http://www.aBible.com