Today's Reading:O.T. - Psalm 15 - 18
N.T. - Jude 1
I will be speaking about this text and topic at Evensong Worship, on Sunday evening, April 1.
Focus Verses: Jude 1:20-25
20But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. 21Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. 22Be merciful to those who doubt; 23snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
24To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
Insight:
Most of this short little book is filled with warning against immorality. Jude concludes with some admonitions to that will serve his Christian readers as they turn away from immorality and pursue righteousness. They should build each other up in faith; pray; be responsive to God's love; and cling to God with a sense of his mercy and hope of Christ's return. They should be merciful with those who are having doubts, and they should take bold action to pull each other out of the sins that are corrupting them; this should be done with mercy toward the sinner and reverence for God. Jude's concluding declaration of praise suggests that Christians should ultimately look to God as the one who is able to sustain them and keep them from falling. If they will cling to God, God will not fail to present them faultless and complete before him on the final day.
Response and Action:
I will love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I will live with faith in God's mercy and hope in Christ's return. When I see doubt in my Christian friends, I will show them mercy and patience and encourage faith. When I see sin and weakness in my Christian friends, I will do whatever I can to wake them up and turn them around. In all things, I will cultivate reverence for God and mercy toward others. I believe that God is able to keep me from falling and able to save me; because of this confidence, I will praise him with my whole heart.
O God, help me to lead a righteous life that honors you. As you are merciful to me, help me to be merciful to others. As you are patient and encouraging to me in times of doubt, help me to be patient and encouraging to others who are struggling with doubt. Mercifully show me my hidden faults and save me from my sinful ways. Help me to help my Christian friends to turn away from what is wrong and draw near to you. You are worthy of all my praise, O God, because you are able to keep me and save me. My hope and trust are in you. Amen.
Proverbs: 27:17
"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
Resources:
Hope Has Its Reasons
by Rebecca Manley Pippert
