Daily Dose of Hope

April 27, 2026

Scripture: Titus 1

Prayer: Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, That my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, That my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, That I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, To defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, That I always may be holy.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan. We have been journeying through Paul's letters and we have made great progress. Today, we are starting pastoral letter #12 out of 13.

Our reading for today is Titus 1. This is a letter from Paul to his dear friend, Titus. Paul had left Titus on the island of Crete to organize the church there and carry on the work that was started. One of his main tasks was to appoint elders or overseers for the local churches; this means basically choose some pastors. There were specific characteristics for the pastors that Paul outlines in this chapter, including being blameless, being faithful to a single wife, and not being prone to anger or drunkenness. These are consistent with the lists for elders in Paul's other letters as well.

This first chapter highlights that the false teachers have made it to Crete as well. The circumcision group refers to Jewish Christians who are vehemently promoting the idea that to be a Christian, one must be a Jew first, which includes becoming circumcised. Paul wants this group silenced. They are teaching against the Gospel, which clearly states that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. All that is required for salvation is faith; anyone who adds to this is a false teacher.

Think about the world we live in. False teachers are everywhere. They may not be promoting circumcision as a prerequisite for salvation but other ideas that are equally damaging. How important it is for us to grow our roots down deep into God's Word so that we won't be swayed by the many ideas out there, the many voices that are vying for our attention. One voice matters-Jesus.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki