{"id":96559,"date":"2026-07-10T16:33:42","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T21:33:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=96559"},"modified":"2026-07-10T16:33:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T21:33:42","slug":"being-sensible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/being-sensible\/","title":{"rendered":"Being Sensible"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

by Hugh DeLong<\/p>\nBe Sensible! Paul demanded this of older men (Titus 2:2), younger women (Titus 2:5), and younger men (Titus 2:6), and then of all <\/b>disciples (Titus 2:12). But<\/strong> what does that mean? Basically, it means to have a sound, self-controlled, well-governed mind that produces wise, restrained, godly behavior. It is not merely “being smart.” It means a person’s desires, emotions, words, decisions, and habits are brought under disciplined spiritual judgment.
\nTo be self-controlled is to not be ruled by impulse, panic, anger, lust, pride, fashion, or public opinion. It isn’t that such sensible people have no emotions, but that we are to be controlled by the teachings and principles that Jesus has given us. Our lives are governed by God’s truth as revealed in His word.\n

That isn’t always easy because God doesn’t always agree with us! That is, we <\/b>don’t agree with God. Yet what that means in reality is that we are wrong! It is we who need to change, to grow, to be transformed.<\/p>\n

It seems to me that the area that most of us struggle with is desires! Many of our desires are wrong. James wrote: “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death<\/em>” (James 1:14-15). Lust in this passage is simply a strong desire for what God has forbidden. Unfortunately, the old challenge – ‘has God said’ – still raises its ugly head, and this gets us into trouble!<\/p>\n

Are you being sensible?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Hugh DeLong Be Sensible! Paul demanded this of older men (Titus 2:2), younger women (Titus 2:5), and younger men (Titus 2:6), and then of all disciples (Titus 2:12). But what does that mean? Basically, it means to have a sound, self-controlled, well-governed mind that produces wise, restrained, godly behavior. It is not merely “being…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[1924],"class_list":["post-96559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-sensible"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":96983,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/healthy-teaching\/","url_meta":{"origin":96559,"position":0},"title":"Healthy Teaching","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Edwin Crozier Though there are some teachers who need to be silenced, as Paul explained at the end of Titus 1, teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach, upsetting whole families, Titus needs to teach what accords with sound or healthy doctrine. I have no doubt\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":48396,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-sound-mind-in-a-sound-body\/","url_meta":{"origin":96559,"position":1},"title":"A Sound Mind in a Sound Body","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 19, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Timothy 4:6-16 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Back in the time of the early church, a Roman poet, Juvenal, stated \u201cYou should pray for a sound mind in a sound body.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The thought is clear. To have one without the other is far from an enjoyable life. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35929,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/denying-oneself\/","url_meta":{"origin":96559,"position":2},"title":"Denying Oneself","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 30, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Titus 2:11-14 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Self-improvement books abound. People constantly look for means wherein they can make themselves better. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cBetter,\u201d in most people\u2019s books, means happiness. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But to many people there are limits to betterment \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ingrid Law captured the idea when she wrote, \u201cYou can\u2019t get rid\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9009,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-needed-in-a-deacons-wife\/","url_meta":{"origin":96559,"position":3},"title":"What is needed in a deacon’s wife?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 15, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Please give me some pointers on how to be a proper wife of a deacon, i.e. physically, emotionally, spiritually, intellectually, etc. I would like to know about all the inward and outward aspects of being a deacon's wife. Answer: The rule of life for a deacon's wife is the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":96830,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/order\/","url_meta":{"origin":96559,"position":4},"title":"Order","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Edwin Crozier When the church comes together, we know the meetings, assemblies, classes, and studies should be conducted with decency and order (see I Corinthians 14:40). When Paul wrote to Titus, he explained that the entire church should be kept in order. This order would be completed on Crete\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1652,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-rebels-cause\/","url_meta":{"origin":96559,"position":5},"title":"The Rebel’s Cause","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 1, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: II Thessalonians 3:6-15 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Israel \u2013 the name means \u201cone who wrestles with God\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jacob received the name when he wrestled with an angel, asking for a blessing - Genesis 32:24-28 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It became the trademark of his descendants - Deuteronomy 9:7, 24 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0One that lasted their entire existence as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96559\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}