We are waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession, who are zealous for good works.
– Titus 2:13–14
Ah, there’s so much really in Titus 2:11–14. The language here is so rich. The grace of God trains us to live godly lives as we are. And this is where we picked up in verse 13. Waiting for the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. What a way to live, every single day waiting for his appearing. We can’t wait for his appearing.
Titus 2:13–14 teaches us to be zealous for good works.
And then verse 14 says, Jesus gave himself for us to redeem us from lawlessness, from sin, to purify for himself a people for his own possession. And this is the phrase I really want to focus on and lead us to pray according to. God has saved us through Jesus, to be a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Are you zealous for good works today? Are you zealous for good works in your life? Just think for a minute, what does it look like to live today with zeal for good works? And I want to encourage you based on Titus 2:14, to live today zealous for good works. Make the connection with Matthew 5:13–16. The salt of the earth, the light of the world. Let your light shine before men that they may see your… What? Your good works, and give glory to your Father in heaven. What does good works look like in your life today? Be zealous for that. Let’s pray for that.
Titus 2:13–14 teaches us the connection between grace and godliness.
God, help us to live today with zeal for good works. Zeal to show in our actions and our works what wholehearted love for you looks like in action, and what love for our neighbors as ourselves looks like in action. God, help us to work well today. Help us to work wisely today. Lord, help us to do good, to be generous, hospitable, kind, tenderhearted, compassionate, loving. Help us to serve others. God, we pray that by your Spirit in us today, that good works would flow from us.
Oh God, may our good works today bring you much glory in the lives of the people we’re around. God, help us to do good works in public and in private. Help us to do good works in our home, in our school, in our workplace, in every place where we find ourselves today. God, help us to be sensitive to the opportunities we have to do good works because we’re zealous to do them, “even as we are,” based on Titus 2:11, “trained and equipped by your grace for all these good works.”Oh, even thinking about you coming back, Lord Jesus, if you were to come back today, we pray that you would find us zealous for good works, as we’re waiting for your appearing.
Prayer for the Megh People
And God, we pray specifically today for the Megh people of India and Pakistan, most of them right there on the India-Pakistani border. For the five million Megh people, most of whom have little to no knowledge of the gospel, hardly any, if any known Christians among this group of people, group of 5 million people. God we pray, raise up laborers who will go and do good works among the Megh people in ways that point to the glory of Jesus.
God, we pray for this Hindu people group to be flooded with followers of yours doing good works in your name and in the process that you would bring them to the salvation that you’ve made available, Titus 2:11, for all people. Titus 2:13, “hat you would show your glory as our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” Oh, God, we pray all of this according to your word in Titus 2:13–14. Help us to live with zeal for good works today. In Jesus name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
