When in high school, from the first day I went out for a sport, I made up my mind I was going to give it my absolute best effort. It didn’t matter if some on the team slacked off when doing conditioning drills or practicing for competition. I was going to take a sober-minded approach to give it my all every step of the way.

In Paul’s instructions for Titus about how to live a dedicated Christian life, four times in Chapter Two he mentioned being “sober.” The word “sober” means “to be sound minded, serious minded, or vigilant.” The first thing Titus was to tell the “aged men” was to be “sober” (vs. 2). Perhaps this is needed because in older years we tend to let down our spiritual guard. We grow weary, no longer have children in the house to properly influence, and perhaps think more than we should about living to please self in our closing years. But even aged men need encouragement to be vigilant, or sober, in their thinking about living for Christ and serving Him. Titus was to teach the aged women to teach “young women to be sober…” (vs. 3-4). It is often the case that younger girls and women are overly focused on fun social activities, clothing, and fads. These young ladies needed instruction to be more serious-minded, vigilant, or sober, with the mindset of growing to be a godly wife and mother. Titus was to speak to “young men likewise exhort [them] to be sober minded…” (vs. 6). The temptation is strong for young men to be preoccupied with worldly entertainments, ambition for riches, or pursuing women. Paul wanted Titus to challenge the young men in his sphere of influence to be serious-minded about being a pattern of good works for the cause of Christ, sound in doctrine, sincerity, and wholesome speech. These qualities would produce a godliness that would eliminate criticism from lost souls. Then Paul told Titus that God’s grace has “appeared to all men, teaching us…we should live soberly, righteously, and godly…” (vss. 11-12). Every believer, regardless of age or gender, has an urgent need to be armed with a soberness, or serious mindedness, about living a godly life before the Lord and others.

These four reminders should cause each of us to evaluate how soberminded our walk with the Lord is presently. May the Lord find us to be more serious about living for Him than anything else and seeking to be transformed by His grace daily.