For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men (mankind), instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age… 

                                                                                                                       Titus 2:11-12 

People really don’t tend to care about what we say rather they respond to us by the way in which we act. Today’s passage is a reminder that as people who are saved, we are to conduct ourselves as such. We do not behave in this way so that we can be saved rather it is our security in our salvation that brings about this proper behavior.

The grace and love of God led to the giving of Jesus to become the atoning sacrifice for our sin. Placing our faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross brings salvation. And with salvation comes a change of mind and heart (repentance) about the world and the ungodliness that is so pervasive in our culture. In other words, as believers in Jesus, we are to live sensibly. 

The word “sensible” can be defined as being of sound mind. It is the essence of what it means to be sober, sane, and in our right mind. So often we see people immersing themselves in substances designed to impair the brain and numb the senses. This often comes as a result of an empty life in which the participant has everything that the world declares important yet has a tremendous void and emptiness inside. The substances are then called upon to play the role of distracter so that the reality of the person’s life doesn’t have to be confronted. This is the opposite of what scripture describes as living sensibly.

The same is often found in relationships. When people have not rooted themselves in the sustaining power of the Spirit of God, relationships can often become strained and volatile. Again, instead of finding sensibility in the power of God manifested in this life, the person begins to search for other relationships in an attempt to fill the void left by the destruction of previous encounters.

In addition to addictions and relational problems, a lack of sensibility can also be assessed by our attitude about money. When we are ever seeking to accumulate wealth as a means of success in this life, we follow into the trap of the world, telling us to grab as much as we possibly can. Understanding that our time on earth is brief and that our wealth is not transferrable into eternity doesn’t seem to slow some people down when it comes to making money their god. Scripture doesn’t condemn hard work and reaping the reward of that work but it does warn us multiple times about making material wealth the focus of our lives. 

Actions speak louder than words. What we do, as well as the attitudes and motives behind those decisions, speaks volumes on who we are and what we have made priority in our lives. For those who belong to Christ, we are to live sensibly with a sound mind and a powerful faith. This kind of living is the most fulfilling and comes as we yield ourselves to the power of the Spirit of God!