In the closing to Paul’s letter to Titus (and us), he reminds us that we aren’t to do good works as part of our life. God actually saved us for this very purpose. I hope you know that God loves you and wants to fill your life with good things. But more than that, he saves us so the outpouring of his love in our lives will overflow and spill onto others. We demonstrate this by:

• Being subject to rulers and authorities, being obedient and ready to do whatever is good, to not slander anyone, and to be gentle toward everyone…even those with whom we disagree.
• Replacing foolishness, disobedience, deception, and our slavery to self pleasure because we want to display what it means to be aware of God’s mercy in our lives. We put a stop to bitterness and envy and hatred because God’s kindness and love flow over these and replace them with his mercy and grace, realizing “he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.”
• Remembering that “having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”
• Being careful to devote ourselves to doing good in ways that are profitable for everyone.
• Avoiding “foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.”
• Warning people who are divisive person once and twice and “after that, have nothing to do with them.” (Tough love!)
• Remembering it is always the right time to do the right thing, to do “what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.”

We do good works for the sake of the gospel. We weren’t saved By our good works but doing good works is the reason we were saved. . . the expression of God’s overflowing love in our lives.