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“In all things affording thyself [showing yourself] as a pattern of good works…a sound [good] word, not to be condemned; that he who is opposed may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say about us” (Titus 2:7-8 JND).
The character of the Cretian people had been rather bad for hundreds of years, and Paul mentions this in Titus chapter 1. This tendency was hard to overcome, even when some of them got saved. But it was important for the Christians on that island to be good examples of Christ, and especially in the way they talked. This world is watching us, and will quickly notice something in our talk that is not right. They will take every opportunity to find something wrong and use it to oppose us.
But if we are careful, and ask the Lord to help us, then we can avoid saying wrong things. The result will be that unbelievers will be ashamed of themselves, when they cannot find something with which to accuse us. The world may not like us, but we should not give them a chance to say evil things of us.
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