5-Day Devotional: The Accidental Manor

DAY 1: THE ACCIDENTAL PURCHASE
Scripture: “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking...” (Titus 1:5)

Devotional: In 2018, Cal and Claire thought they were buying a move-in-ready apartment. Instead, a mistake at the auction left them owning a crumbling, 120-year-old manor. Their friends told them to walk away. "It’s a ruin," they said.

This is the voice of the Consumer. The consumer looks at a mess—whether it’s a struggling church, a broken culture, or a difficult relationship—and asks, "Does this serve me?" If the answer is no, they check out. But God often places us in "Crete"—in the middle of the mess—not to consume a finished product, but to steward a renovation. We are not called to run from the ruins; we are called to set them in order.

Quote: "Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than they love the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community... God hates this wishful dreaming because it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious." — Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life
Together

Reflection Question: Look at the "ruins" in your life right now (a difficult situation at work, home, or church). Have you been loving the "dream" of what it should be, or loving the reality of what God has placed in front of you?

Prayer: Father, I confess that I often want the finished product without the work. I want a perfect church and an easy life. Help me see the "ruins" around me not as a reason to leave, but as an assignment to love. Give me the eyes of a steward today. Amen.

Action Step: Identify one "messy" situation you have been complaining about. Today, instead of complaining, pray for one specific way God might want to bring order to it through you.

DAY 2: THE HOUSE MANAGER
Scripture: “For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach...” (Titus 1:7)

Devotional: Paul describes the leader as God’s Oikonomos—the "House-Manager." In the ancient world, the steward wasn't the owner; he was a servant entrusted with the master's keys. This distinction changes everything.
If you think you are the Owner of your life, your ministry, or your family, you will be crushed by the pressure to control the outcome. Owners carry the weight of the mortgage and the repairs. Managers simply obey the Owner’s instructions. We are called to be faithful, not to be in charge. Our "house" (our heart, our church, our influence) ultimately belongs to God.

Quote: "The lead pastor must be the lead repenter." — Jack Miller

Reflection Question: In what area of life are you acting like the "Owner"—trying to control outcomes, people, or reputation—rather than trusting the Master?

Prayer: Lord, thank You that You are the Owner of the house. Relieve me of the burden of control. I hand over the keys of my life, my family, and my work to You. Teach me to be a faithful manager who trusts You with the results. Amen.

Action Step: Practice "yielding the keys." When you feel anxiety rise today about a specific outcome, physically open your hands and say, "Lord, this is Your house. I am just the manager."

DAY 3: THE CONSUMER'S TRAP
Scripture: “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.” (Titus 1:16)

Devotional: The opponents in Crete were "insubordinate"—literally "un-arranged." They refused to fit into God's order. They were driven by "shameful gain," turning faith into a tool for their own benefit. This is the trap of the Consumer Narrative. It destroys the language of covenant (I am committed to you) and replaces it with the language of contract (I am committed as long as you pay off). When we view the church or our neighbors as products to be used for our satisfaction, we become "unfit for any good work." We contribute to the chaos rather than the cure.

Quote: "Consumerism turns everything—even God, even our neighbors—into products to be used for our satisfaction. It destroys the language of covenant and replaces it with the language of contract." — Vinoth Ramachandra
Reflection Question: Where has the "contract" mindset crept into your relationships? Are you withholding love or service because you aren't getting what you "paid for"?

Prayer: Jesus, forgive me for viewing Your bride, the church, through the lens of a consumer.

Forgive me for asking "what's in it for me?" instead of "how can I serve?" Reorient my heart from shameful gain to selfless giving. Amen.

Action Step: Do something today that offers zero return on investment for you—an anonymous act of kindness or service that you cannot be "paid back" for.

DAY 4: THE ULTIMATE RENOVATOR
Scripture: “...in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began...” (Titus 1:2)

Devotional: How do we stay faithful when the renovation is hard? We look to the Better Steward. Jesus didn't just buy a fixer-upper; He bought a wreck. And the cost wasn't money; it was His life.

Jesus left the comfort of His Father's house to enter the "ruin" of our sin. He was treated as an outsider—unwelcomed and rejected—so that we could be brought inside the Family of God. Because He paid the full price, we don't have to earn our place in the house. We are already loved. This security allows us to admit our faults and grow in true self-control.

Quote: "Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house... He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of... You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself." — C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Reflection Question: How does knowing that Jesus is building a "palace" for Himself out of your life change how you view your current struggles or failures?

Prayer: Father, thank You that I am not a project to be completed by my own strength, but a dwelling place for Your Spirit. Thank You, Jesus, for entering my ruin to rebuild me. Let Your sacrifice be the fuel for my stewardship today. Amen.

Action Step: Read Philippians 2:5-8. Spend five minutes meditating on the "downward mobility" of Jesus—how He went low to lift you up.

DAY 5: PICKING UP THE HAMMER

Scripture: “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine...” (Titus 1:9)

Devotional: The response to God's grace is not passivity; it is "Calm Courage." Paul tells Titus to "silence" the false teachers—not by shouting them down, but by "muzzling" the chaos with the truth.

We are called to pick up the hammer of grace. This means we calmly challenge the cultural narratives around us. When the world says, "Life is about you," we show a life of service. We don't just critique the ruin; we get to work on the repair. We are the renovation crew, empowered by the Spirit to adorn the doctrine of God.

Quote: We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God... The Christian who is too busy or too 'important' to worry about the immediate needs of the person standing right in front of them is too busy to be a follower of Jesus." — Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Theologian & Martyr, Germany), from Life Together.