When Laughter Crosses the Line: Why “Good Deeds” Matter More Than Ever

I was reading Titus this morning, and it hit me square in the chest.

Recently, I had shared a funny Instagram reel with my family and a couple friends (by mistake!). We all laughed—hard. But afterward, I couldn’t shake the sense that something about it wasn’t right. It was dishonoring. The humor came at someone else’s expense.

This morning, convicted by what I read, I sent them all a follow-up audio text:
“Hey, that video I sent last night was off. I laughed, but it wasn’t honoring. I want to be better. Will you call me up if you see me drift again?”

Why? Because Titus doesn’t pull punches.

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Faith that Doesn't Show is Faith that Doesn't Shine

Titus is Paul’s playbook for raising up visible, credible leaders in one of the most morally compromised places in the Roman world: Crete.

This wasn’t just a place with a bad reputation—it had become a punchline. Cretans were known as liars, gluttons, and cheats. Even their own poets said so. And yet Paul sends Titus to build a church there. Not just any church—a model community of kingdom integrity.

But in a culture flooded with religion, deception, and duplicity, the key currency was credibility.

So Paul hammers this theme again and again:
“They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him.” (Titus 1:16)
Translation: Saying the right thing means nothing if your life doesn’t prove it.

Why “Good Deeds” Aren’t Optional

Paul isn’t talking about good deeds as brownie points with God. He’s talking about visible evidence of internal transformation. In fact, the letter is built around it:

Titus 1:16 – False teachers are exposed not by their beliefs, but by their behavior.

Titus 2:7 – “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works.”

Titus 2:14 – Jesus died to create a people “zealous for good deeds.”

Titus 3:1, 8, 14 – Believers must be “ready” and “devoted” to good deeds.

Why? Because in a culture that’s numb to words, it’s our works that awaken the soul.

Above Reproach Isn’t Perfection—It’s Consistency

Paul also calls for leaders and believers alike to live “above reproach” (Titus 1:6–8; 2:8). That doesn’t mean perfect. It means predictably aligned with what we preach. Not one person in public, another in private.

In a Cretan world where hypocrisy was normal, Paul knew that credibility was the greatest apologetic.

So What About Us?

We live in a modern-day Crete.

There’s plenty of religion. Plenty of opinions. But people are hungry for integrity they can trust and action they can follow. In a world addicted to the scroll and the spin, we need believers whose lives preach louder than their lips.

That’s why I had to send that text.

It’s why I’m writing this now.

It’s time to return to good deeds that confirm our faith, not just good content that entertains.

Let’s Be Those People

Let’s be people who…

Live in such a way that no accusation sticks.

Laugh, but never at the expense of honor.

Choose courage over comfort, and character over clout.

Show up, not just speak up.

Because in today’s world, good deeds speak volumes—and the world is listening.

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