Paul instructed his fellow-worker Titus to find in Crete some men who could be elders for the churches on the island. Doing so is not a whimsical venture. So Paul lays out some things for Titus to look for to determine and gauge what these guys’ character should display. One trait he highlights is being a ‘lover of good.’
This seems simple enough, but what does it mean to be a lover of good? It is easy for me—and maybe you—to say, ‘Yes, I love good.’ But when I thought more and delved into the devotion of my own intentions, I became worried. For when I initially thought of if I love good I thought of something positive and then looked at the associated feeling or desire. Correct thinking soon followed: just because I like something when I think of it does not mean that I love it. I soon found that I root for good a lot, but it is often like cheering on your stock as it climbs higher and higher: the results are going to positively affect my bank account. But rooting for is nowhere in the vicinity of loving; unless I have some sad affection for money, I do not actually LOVE my stocks in the stock market; I do desire them to do well so I can have a good investment so I can earn more money so I can do more things with money, but I don’t love stocks or money; they are necessary and helpful. (This is when, in my thinking, my tranquil complexion started to grow into a frown.)
What does it mean to LOVE good? If we look at what love entails through the logic of the Bible—a good place to look since that is where the question arose—we have a helpful guide. To love something Biblically means everything. When Jesus talked about loving our enemies he talked about laying aside all our desires of self-promotion and vengeance for the sake of aiding their soul and even at times their ventures. When Jesus talked about the greatest love one could have for another he talked about the laying down of ones life: willingly giving up yourself totally for another. When Jesus talks about a husband and wife he talks about forbearance, patience, seeking the good of the other, humility, sacrifice, actions and inactions that positively promote the character and life of the other, intentions, dipping into every area and aspect of what it means to live.
So, do I, do you have this particular proclivity for good? Does your life wreak of promoting—for goodness’ sake—good?
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