I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking.
Golfers know that they can’t take the easy way out of a difficult situation. When a ball rolls off the fairway and into the rough, the golfer isn’t permitted to pick it up and place it where it will be easier to play. He must hit the ball from the rough. Young Titus found himself "in the rough." He had been left in Crete, charged with the task of building the Lords work there. But he encountered problems. Cretans were generally deceitful, immoral, and lazy, and this spirit has invaded the churches. Paul realized that his friend needed encouragement, so he wrote to him. He said, in essence, "Yes, things are bad in Crete. But that’s exactly why I left you there. God can use you to bring about great and necessary changes." Titus listened and he succeeded. Although the Bible doesn’t record the results of this encouraging letter from Paul, archeologists have found the remains of stately churches that had the name "Titus" inscribed on their cornerstones.
Whenever we are in a difficult place, we don’t help ourselves by looking for the easy way out. Instead, by exercising our faith in God and facing the challenge, we can battle our way through the problem. We’ll become better people, and we’ll discover that God can make us victorious.
From strength to strength go on, wrestle and fight and pray; Tread all the powers of darkness down and win the well-fought day.
THE GREATER THE PROBLEM, THE GREATER OUR OPPORTUNITY TO TAP GOD’S POWER.