Daily Devo | Spiritual Imposter Syndrome (Titus 2:15)

"Imposter Syndrome" is an experience that many have, feeling unqualified for the position or task they have been given. Titus and his peer, Timothy, felt similarly unqualified for the tasks they had been given. As younger people, how could they lead elders who might resist them? Do you sometimes feel unqualified for what God has given you to do in life?

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For Reflection:

One of the ways we can move forward with confidence is to be sure that we are doing what God has called us to do.

- As you consider your life, what is it that God has called you to do? Where has God given you authority or responsibility in your personal life, in your workplace or school, and in the family of God?

- Which do you feel is the greater challenge for you -- internal doubts or external pushback? What resources or training might help you feel more confident in doing what God has called you to do?

Normally, telling someone the end of the story is worthy of a spoiler alert -- otherwise the story may be ruined for the person. But when the story is real life, knowing the end of the story can help us to live with purpose and courage. Jesus reveals to us the end of the story, the end of history, in a way that gives us the freedom to truly live right now!

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For Reflection:

Just like knowing dinner is coming can help us resist our late-afternoon hunger, knowing that Jesus is coming can help us resist the temptations and distractions of this world.

- How well do you keep "the end of the story" in mind in your daily affairs and when making big decisions? How might you live and love differently if you were more conscious of the promises of God?

- What helps you to remain more aware of God's presence and the future Jesus has secured for us?

After speaking about other relationships, Paul addresses slaves. His advice has been used by many to justify slavery, but is that truly what Paul is doing? Or was Paul working for the dignity of slaves in a system that was unlikely to change? Richard Lee shares his perspective from working with International Justice Mission, a premiere non-profit working against global slavery and human trafficking.

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Richard Lee's page on the International Justice Mission Website:

https://www.ijm.org/team/richard-lee

For Reflection:

Many converts to Christianity in the early church found it difficult to keep slaves when Sunday worship gatherings forced everyone to interact as sisters and brothers.

- When it comes to interacting with people of different cultures or social station, does your experience of church help or hinder those connections? What might you do to foster those connections?

- If a child asked you how you are helping to make the world a better, more just place, how might you respond?

What if God does change His mind? And what if your free will isn't as free as you think? Pastor Taylor Burgoyne dives headfirst into two theological juggernauts - divine sovereignty and human choice - and explores whether our desire for a God who never changes might actually keep us from seeing the God who’s far more dynamic and responsive than we imagined.

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We have a message to share both in how we live and what we say. We often want to have our lives do all the communication but there is also a call to make explicit in our words what is (hopefully) implicit in our lives. Clarity is kindness!

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For Reflection:

Paul gives older folks a show and tell responsibility with the younger generations -- to show the truth in how they live and to teach the younger generations to do likewise.

- Who are some of the "elders" in your life who passed on important lessons of life and faith to you? How did they pass this knowledge on to you? Was it in how they lived? What they said? Both?

- Where do you see this generational blessing from old to young taking place in our society and in the church? Where do you see it lacking? What role might God have for you to play?

Paul explains to Titus why leaders must be able to teach -- because Crete's culture (and ours) is filled with harmful lies. Even one of their poets said, "All people from Crete are liars!" But just because something is "normal" doesn't make it good. Whatever our culture may say is normal, Jesus is the example we are to follow!

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For Reflection:

Cretan culture's lack of honesty made them vulnerable to lies that were tearing the community apart.

- What vice or vices do you think are considered normal in our culture? What harms do you see them causing to your community, your families, or to you?

- We tend to idolize the early church as if it were a golden age, but they were filled with broken people, too. What strengths and weaknesses do you see in your church? Where might God be inviting you to play a part in making it healthier?

What makes a good leader? What might disqualify someone from leadership? Paul presents the qualifications for leadership in a way that also serves as a wonderful model of all discipleship. We first have to learn God's Word, then live it out, and only then are we ready to teach it.

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For Reflection:

Just like Ezra 7:10, we must learn, then live, and only then teach God's instructions.

- Paul gives several disqualifications for leadership (v7): arrogant, quick-tempered; a heavy drinker, violent, and dishonest with money. How have you seen these characteristics harm a family, workplace, or church?

- Which of the many qualifications or potential disqualifications strike you as important areas for growth at this time in your life? What benefit might come from growth in that area?

Paul opens his letter to the young pastor Titus with a curious phrase. He refers to God as one "who does not lie". This truth is important for us all to know. After all, how can we trust God's promises unless we trust that God is not lying to us? Crete, where Titus was, had a culture that apparently thrived on dishonesty. For them and for us, God's honesty not only comforts, but challenges us to be honest as well.

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For Reflection:

Titus lived in a place that had to be reminded of the importance of honesty. Our world is not so different.

- In your experience, what are the primary reasons people tend to lie to others, and perhaps to themselves as well?

- What are the most common temptations for you to bend the truth?

- Some people are casually blunt and hurtful with the truth. In contrast, Jesus was full of grace and truth (John 1:14). What might help you to be simultaneously more honest and kind?

The closing of Romans closely mirrors the opening. Perhaps the big difference is that the opening focused on what God gives to use (grace) while the closing focuses on what we give in return to God (glory). Grace and glory are perfect bookends to God's work in Rome and in us. God gives us undeserved grace, something we could never earn, and in return, we can only praise God in gratitude!

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For Reflection:

God's grace moves through the world in ever-expanding circles, reaching even Rome and Spain in Paul's day.

- What are some of the ways that you've personally experienced God's grace (undeserved kindness)? How has God's kindness expanded your kindness to others?

- We often praise people to make them feel good, but genuine praise also focuses us on what is good. Praising God is more for our benefit. What do you find praiseworthy about God, and what do those aspects of God bring out in you?

Many people ask for our trust, but many are not trustworthy. Paul gives three signs of people we should not trust. First, they undermine what we know. Second, they are in it for personal gain. Third, their lives are not consistent with their words. Avoid such people, warns Paul, especially because they tear communities apart. By such marks, are we trustworthy? Do our lives pass the test?

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For Reflection:

Paul mentioned 3 traits of the people we should not trust. They 1) undermine what we know, 2) prioritize personal gain, and 3) their actions don't match their words.

- Who are some people who have proven trustworthy in your life? What characteristics do they seem to share?

- In contrast, what are some of the characteristics of people who have proven untrustworthy? How do they match up to Paul's warning?

- Is there a way that God might want you to grow in these areas?