Day 11: Rest in Salvation

I read about George Floyd, and I thought about my friend’s son – born early and so small. Over the last couple of months, I have prayed for him to grow strong. Not once did it occur to me to pray for a world that would accept and embolden her strong black son.

This is my ignorance, and it’s willful. I can’t say I didn’t know. It’s passive. Problems don’t fix themselves. In sitting back as I have, I am complicit.

It’s from this perspective that I share Titus 3:3-8. If last weekend’s Rest in the Shepherd through Psalm 23 was more of a “reading” than a study, this is more of a “riff” than a reading to guide your prayers this weekend.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is clear – we are all wrong – but with this accusation, God delivers salvation – a free gift to all that we each must receive. What starts with a finger point ends with an open hand to step into the rest God offers for our souls. It is not a rest that allows me to sit back and leave this world to itself, but a rest that spurs a restlessness to love as Jesus did – a love that doesn’t turn aside or shift blame but gets right in there to love people, whatever the cost.

The blog this week has been all about exchanging the restless stories for the only one that brings rest – the story of God so loving the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

We have every reason to be honest before God – our past wrongs, our present comparisons, and our future worries. He doesn’t turn away from who we are. He takes it on, and He moves us on to do good work that all may know so all receive.

It is finished. It is good. The Titus riff is coming to the inbox of all blog subscribers tomorrow morning, but here’s The Good Word now.

3 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. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 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, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

Titus 3:3-8