October 19, 2026
Paul reminds Titus that salvation comes through God's kindness and mercy rather than anything people have done to deserve it. He describes the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, emphasizing that God's saving work is a gift of grace through Jesus Christ. Our relationship with God begins with His loving initiative, not our accomplishments.
Devotional
Most of us are accustomed to earning things. We work for our paychecks, save for what we want, and learn early that effort usually comes before reward. That makes it difficult sometimes to understand a love that doesn't follow those rules.
Paul tells Titus that God's kindness and love appeared, bringing salvation through mercy rather than our righteous accomplishments. God did not wait until humanity had become good enough to deserve His attention. He acted because He is merciful.
That is one reason infant baptism is such a beautiful reminder of grace. A baby cannot explain theology, promise to live a faithful Christian life, or understand the meaning of the sacrament. Yet God's love is already present. In baptism, the Church celebrates God's gracious initiative and welcomes the child into the covenant community where faith will be nurtured.
We sometimes speak as though our relationship with God begins when we finally make the right decision. Our response of faith matters, but God's grace was already working before we recognized it. Wesley called this prevenient grace, the grace that goes before us, awakening our hearts and making it possible for us to respond to God.
Think about how encouraging that is for people who are uncertain about faith. God is not standing at a distance waiting for them to become worthy of His love. He is already reaching toward them, inviting them into a relationship they could never earn through their own goodness.
And that invitation does not end once we believe. The Holy Spirit continues renewing us, helping us turn away from sin and become more like Christ. The God who loved us before we knew Him remains faithful as we learn to trust Him.
This should also change the way we welcome people into the Church. We are not responsible for deciding who deserves God's kindness. Our calling is to help people experience the grace that has been freely given to us.
We can welcome others because God welcomed us first.
Action
Reach out to someone who may feel uncertain about whether they belong in church or whether God could love them. Offer encouragement without making acceptance depend upon their having everything figured out.
Prayer
Gracious God, thank You for loving us before we knew how to love You. Your mercy reaches into our lives long before we understand how much we need it. Help us remember that salvation is Your gift, not something we can earn. Give us welcoming hearts and patient spirits so that others may experience Your kindness through us. Continue renewing us by Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Thought for the Day
God's grace was reaching toward me long before I knew how to respond.
We spend so much of our lives trying to earn things that grace can be difficult to understand. Titus 3:4–7 reminds us that God's mercy comes before our accomplishments. He doesn't wait until we're good enough to love us. Infant baptism gives us a beautiful picture of that truth. God's grace reaches toward us before we can even explain what faith means.
We respond to God's love because He loved us first.
