November 19

Titus 1

Paul instructs Titus to appoint spiritually qualified men to oversee the church ministry.

INSIGHT

The Bible is an enormous book that is difficult to master. It contains nearly 1,000 pages of information, none of which is insignificant. While it is true that new Christians can read and study the Scriptures on their own and gain spiritual truths through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it is highly unlikely that anyone can grow to a mature understanding of the Bible without relying on teachers who know more about the Bible than they do. Herein lies a danger: We may not know enough about the Bible to determine if what is being taught to us is accurate. Therefore it is important to align ourselves with a church that believes and teaches the Bible. This type of setting will help safeguard us from being led into error.

PRAYER

Thank the Lord that He warns us about the danger of falling away from Him, and praise Him that He safeguards the faithful:
O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory
(Psalm 63:1-2).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving. Now pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
He will again have compassion on us,
And will subdue our iniquities.
You will cast all our sins
Into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
(Hebrews 9:27-28)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

Greater love for your family
Missionaries in North and South America
Your activities for the day

Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
May the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Romans 15:5-6)