Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,
To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

As we start the book of Titus, a little background is helpful. Titus was a Gentile convert of Paul’s and he was a significant help to him in his ministry to the Gentiles. When Paul left Antioch to discuss the gospel with the church leaders (specifically ceremonial clean and unclean food, circumcision, and other Jewish rules that were being forced on Gentiles), Titus, as an uncircumcised Christian, backed up his stance. It is presumed he worked with Paul in Ephesus on his third missionary journey, and likely delivered Paul’s first and second letters to the Corinthians. Paul and Titus worked in Crete, where Paul left him to get things in order with the church and new converts there. His last ministry station was Dalmatia, (mentioned in II Timothy 4:10).

The first thing that is remarkable here is Paul’s declaration of Titus as his true son in the faith. This was an important thing to say to any spiritual mentee who you helped bring to Jesus. And doubly so for Titus, because Paul was Jewish and Titus was a Gentile. The Jews had, for a long time, looked down on Gentiles, and the Gentiles did not always deserve this haughty treatment. And once they received Jesus, Gentiles are in the family of God! I can imagine that Titus’ face, when he read these words, started to beam with pride and affection.

Many nobility of the day, when writing letters, would list their positions of power and accomplishments, place of noble birth, etc. Paul does this too but with a twist. He is a servant of God and an Apostle of Jesus Christ. The nobility were mostly born into power and position. Paul was rescued from these worldly leadership classes to be a servant to God. And while the title Apostle sounds glamorous, it was a challenging occupation. Lots of long days. Great highs with miracles and converts in new cities. And some deep lows, like being shipwrecked, falsely accused, beaten, hunted down, and eventually martyred.

Through it all, he held onto his purpose and calling: to further the faith of God’s elect and build their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness. And his hope rests, in part, on the promise of eternal life from God, for those who follow Jesus. This is gained not by power or position or birthright, but through simply accepting the free gift of redemption Jesus offered to us by sacrificing his body for our sins on the cross and obeying him as Lord and Savior.

And he ends with wishing Titus, his dearly loved son, grace and peace. Grace is that wonderful fruit of the Spirit that gives to others incredible gifts they do not deserve. And an out-of-this-world type of peace, which comes from Jesus. It is peace with God: the only lasting peace and the only one that truly matters.

Lord, thank you for your servant, Titus, and his support of Paul in his ministry. What a huge blessing he was! Thank you for those who support me in this devotional ministry, as well. They pray, share them with friends, send me notes of encouragement, and contribute to the cause financially and with time and skills. Bless my ministry partners and fill them up with the greatest measure of your presence in their lives, as they follow you and obey your Word.