To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

I think of a window pane, nice and clean, that people can look into as they walk by. Some walk by in the daylight and the reflection they see is one of all of the beautiful flowers, colorful cars, and storefronts across the street. They can see people walking by laughing, talking, and having fun. Looking at life through the window pane has a sureness of joy to it.

Then some people come by the same window pane at night. And the moonlight and streetlights allow for a different type of reflection. But instead of colorful and fun sights, there is mainly darkness and shadows. Fear builds for some. The cars and the storefronts are still there, but they cannot be seen. Some know that this is a safe town and that all of the things in the day are the same at night. They trust in the city police and the citizens to help keep them safe. At night, those who only see what appears in the reflection are plagued by fear. But those who remember the character traits of the town they live in, even though they cannot see them, are still at peace.

In a similar way spiritually, the perspective in which we view the events of life makes a huge difference in what we see. If we understand that there is a sovereign and loving God who has a plan for our lives, then events in our life can be seen as a part of that plan. If we do not believe in an active and powerful God who loves us, then the events of life are taken on their own. And the ones that are hard to understand or don’t bring immediate satisfaction are challenging to reconcile and create fear in many cases.

For those with a pure heart, they see life and its challenges as an opportunity to grow in faith, to grow closer to God, and participate in his divine discipline. For those who do not have a pure heart, who are trapped in sin, life’s challenges are seen through the light of fairness and what they believe they are owed. The selfish way of looking at life creates a corrupt mindset and corrupt motives.

These people may even claim to know God, attend all the right parties, serve at church, and know all the right lingo to say to sound like a follower, but in their hearts they are far from God. Their actions do not back up their talk. In the end, we find out that they have acted in a detestable manner, focused on themselves when they could’ve been focused on others. They spend money on themselves and their dreams, when others around them are in need. The goodness of God … they do not fall in line with and do.

Paul here is talking about a litmus test for Christians. It’s not enough to say a magic prayer and never do any work. This is called a hypocrite. One must sincerely decide to follow Jesus by picking up their cross. And, they must make Jesus the Lord of their life, putting him on the throne and following his lead.

What personal authority can I give to Jesus today, that I have been holding onto in a sinful way?

Lord, thank you for this passage in Titus, that encourages us to stay pure in our hearts. This purity allows us to see things that are pure in this world and to have the right perspective on life and its ups and downs. And we see people as God sees them, children he is lovingly trying to redeem. Turn the eyes of my heart to see people from your perspective. Help me to be pure in my motives and in how I love them.