A Study of Jude, Continued
Examples to Live By
Jude vs. 6 - 7, “They serve as an example…”
Last post talked about how God brings people in our lives to help us remember all that God has done in our lives (past and present). Here we see He also uses people to show us the results of the bad choices we make. There are negative consequences of the paths we choose IF we do not listen to the Holy Spirit and follow the will of God.
I find it interesting that Jude is very specific about what “darkness” (or sin) is and what the people did to deserve punishment though he is not specific about what the angels. However, both Heavenly beings and people are subject to the same consequences and God is consistent - living eternally out of His presence, a searing like fire.
In our lives today, God gives us examples to live by - both good and bad. We can also be examples to others. Not just when we succeed and do something well in our spiritual journey, but when we fail yet get back up and keep going on. Our brothers and sisters who are new need the encouragement of seeing us in both our good times and our bad times. Our brothers and sisters who have been with God for a long time should show us how to carry on, even when we fall short.
What is one person that you can show one thing to as an encouragement from your journey to theirs? Are you stumbling now? Who can you reach out to as a role model of how to “get back on the horse” when you’re discouraged?
Father, thank you for the people you have put into our lives so that we can be encouraged, and to encourage others. I pray you’ll show us how to do this in our everyday life. Amen.
A Study of Jude, Continued
Delivered into the Light
Jude vs. 5, “Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered His people out of Egypt…”
God delivered His people from oppression - He will deliver us still today. Sometimes we forget that - but that’s ok, we’re human! But we must always strive to remember all that God has done - from the past (in our lives, but also through the old testament) and all that He is still doing in our lives and world today. He will bring people into our lives to remind us of HIs love for us when we need it. God’s grace covers over all our oblivious forgetfulness. However, (see vs 4b) Grace does not exempt us from responsibility or consequences of our choices (verse 5 goes on to say that God destroys those who do not live rightly, according to His purposes). Our choices make us lean on our Faith and draw us closer to Christ - or our choices make us “forget” in favor of other things in our lives that keep us in darkness, away from the Light of God.
What in your life today is keeping you from the Light? What do you need to get off your chest so that you can step back into His light?
Is there something that you need to think back over that God has done for you, to give you hope and grace for this day/week/month in front of you?
Father, I ask that you would draw us closer into relationship with You, by bringing to mind all that you have done - in years past but also in our present. I praise you for all you have done, guiding us into your Light. Amen
A Study of Jude, Continued
Contend for Your Faith
Jude vs. 3 - 4, “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God's holy people. For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you.”
The grace of God covers our mistakes with His mercy and grace, but does not give us free-reign to make them. Contrast the carefully chosen words here, with the verse before it and the carefully chosen words there - “mercy, peace and love”. No matter what happens in our lives, God is quick to forgive and slow to anger (James 1:19-20). He is the example to follow, and even though we will all make mistakes, we must never let that keep us away from God’s love. In the previous verse, we see that God gives abundantly. We must never be ashamed to come to him, asking for forgiveness and allow Him to direct our steps (Prov. 20:24).
We will also encounter those who try to get us to turn from God and do things “our way.” We must stay true to and contend for the faith, take hold of God’s abundant gifts (mercy, peace and love) and fight fiercely for the Gospel.
Where in your life do you see a need to get rid of things that grieve our Father? When we get rid of things that take us away from our faith, we must fill the void it leaves with something that deepens our faith. What is something that you need to invite into your life in order to fill the void left by the thing(s) you are removing?
Lord Jesus, Thank you for never leaving us and giving abundantly so that we can fight for our faith when necessary. I pray that we will feel your rest, your peace and your mercy in the difficult times but also in the good times. Amen.
A Study of Jude
Reimagined Abundance
Jude vs. 2, “Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.”
When God gives, He gives in abundance. Oftentimes, we are caught up in how we think God should give, what He should give or are not paying attention at all, that we miss what He is giving us. Maybe we think we need more money, but in reality we need to get out of debt and be content with what we do have. Maybe we feel we need more time and to be less busy, when what we need is to learn to say no. Maybe we are struggling with our health, but we need to learn to take care of ourselves within the limitations of our illness. God has given us all we need - and abundantly at that - and while this is hard, we have to lean into the mercy, peace and love of God in order to have abundance in our lives. You have access to these things, and they are right in front of you! They may not look like you think they should, but they are there, waiting to be discovered. Remember, God doesn’t give stingily, He gives abundantly!
What in your life might be God giving you abundantly? Is there an area in your life that you think needs to change, but don’t see God working? Change your view point and ask, “What is God giving me in this area that I might not be seeing?”
Lord, Jesus - You are our everything. You have given us all we need, and abundantly so. I pray for your mercy, peace and love on all that I do, am and have. Thank you for providing more than I could imagine, even it is not how I imagine. Please help me see things from your point of view, and not miss all that you have done. Amen.
A Study of Jude
Part 1
Jude is a very small book in the Bible. You blink, you miss it! Jude writes to “those who have been called, who are loved by God,” and is therefore inclusive to any believer. This is an amazing book, in that it is so short, yet so profound - even for today’s reader.
My eldest son loved puppets, especially when he was about 10 years old. We took him to see David Pendelton and he was hooked. He practiced making them walk and talk and everything about it was truly his natural bent. He would put on shows and make recordings of his skits. It was fun to watch but at the end of the day, the only life in the puppets were given to them by the puppeteer.
I think the whole book can be summed up in the one verse, “Keep yourselves in God’s love,” vs. 21. Every minute should be spent aware of God’s presence in our lives. We have no life without Him. But unlike a puppeteer, God loves us and wants the best for us. He gives us the choice to stay with Him, in His love, or to leave at any time. “Keep”, here, implies that we can leave at any time. May we always be like a tree planted by streams of water, firmly rooted in God’s love, never uprooted or dry or weak (Jeremiah 17:7-13).
What can you do today to bring yourself into God’s presence? If you’re already there, what commitment can you make to keep yourself there?
Father, thank you for loving us so much that you would never keep us against our will. We want to reflect Your glory to the world and I pray your powerful presence in our lives. Amen.
A Study of Jude
Part II
Have you seen the movie Beauty and the Beast? The main character, Belle trades her life for her father's at a castle that houses a beast. At first she is resentful and scared, even though it was her choice to stay. But by the end of the movie, she chooses to stay because of love, not out of fear.
“To those who are loved by God and kept by Christ,” vs. 1. I love the imagery of this - “kept by Christ.” It’s not a slavery term or even like keeping an animal chained up. It’s more comparable to a body guard keeping a celebrity close under an umbrella, a husband keeping his wife from stepping into a muddy puddle or a parent keeping his child from getting burned. It may feel restrictive in the moment, but in the long term it is for the best.
Because of love, being kept in someone's presence is a true treasure, not a burden. It’s like spending time with someone and you never want to leave, you don’t want the time to end. While our instinct may be to push against the feeling of being confined, our soul will eventually be able to rest in the love of God and safety of being kept in the presence of Christ.
In your day-to-day life, how are you responding to God’s safety with fear, resentment or false sense of sacrifice? What in your life is “Christ keeping you in His presence”? How can you cultivate more of this?
Father God, thank you for having our best interest at heart. Thank you for protecting us even when we don’t think we want it. I pray that we will always look to your faithfulness and reputation following You anyway, than to make decisions on the uncomfortableness of our present circumstances. Amen.
Our Focus - The Potter, Not Us
So much of our world today is broken, chaotic and so very busy. It can be very overwhelming and defeating. Jeremiah 18:6(b) says, "Like clay in the hand of the Potter, so are you in My hand." It is such beautiful imagery. We speak of it in our lives like we are jars of clay. But the point isn't us, the point is God. It's His hands we are in, and that is what we must speak of. If we aren't willing to give up everything in our life hat He asks us to - fear, business, worry, etc. - then we are just old junkie, dusty clay jars. But if we surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, then His beautiful hands will create us into something beautiful as well, as areflection of the Potter Himself.
A Strong Tree
Jesus told the Samaritan woman, "I am the living water, thirst no more." She was a nobody, an outcast, ridiculed. But Jesus loved her, sought her out, knew her past and drew her into His family. He wants you to know you're loved too. When we have a relationship with Christ, we "will be like a tree planted by the water, that sends roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; it's leaves are always green. It has no fear in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." (Jeremiah 17:7-13)
This is so beautiful - the image of a strong, huge, seasoned tree, standing strong when so many trees around it are not. Do you feel dry, weak, small? What can you do to send roots out to the living water? What can you do to drink of the living water today?
The Light
Some of my fondest memories are of times when the electricity went off. Growing up in a third-world country, the electricity was only on half or one-third of the time. When we had no electricity, we weren't allowed to open the fridge. But that was OK, because my mom would pop popcorn over the gas stove and we'd play board games by candle light. Other times, she'd read us stories, like The Hobbit or Little House On the Prairie with a lantern for light. Looking back, it was almost magical.
Matthew 5:13-16 says, "When you light a lamp, you put it on a stand and it gives light to everyone."
This what I want my life to be like - for everyone to know that God is the light of my life. That I am simply the lamp He uses to shine through; I'm just the stand He uses to display His glory to the world.
Jesus Sees Us!
Part 1
I was at a tennis match several weeks ago, watching my 17 year old, senior in high school playing his last season of tennis. While there, I was talking to another mom and in the course of conversation she said, “It’s so hard to manage everything, all the little day-to-day things we have to do. It’s hard to care for my littler kids when I feel I have so much to do with the to the bigger kids (like these events).” I could sense her dispiritedness and see her inner struggle.
I have been reading the story of the woman who was bleeding for 12 years (Mark 5:21-36). This woman was so discouraged by all that life had dealt her over the past decade plus. And it showed me that God cares about our lives - the big picture but also the little, seemingly insignificant moments of our lives.
The woman was bleeding for 12 years - and because of this, she was an outcast, shunned, disregarded. She knew that Jesus was her last hope. She had tried everything else to get better, spent all the money that she had, and was at the bottom of the barrel of options. There was a huge crowd around Jesus, and the woman pushed through it, knowing that if she could just touch a small scrap of His coat, she would be healed. After she touched Him, Jesus felt His power go out of Him. Jesus then asked the crowd around Him who touched Him. But Jesus knew - as omniscient as He is! He is God, the Creator of the entire universe (big picture) and also Creator of the woman (little picture). He knew exactly who had touched Him, but He asked the question anyway.
Why? Because Jesus knew the woman needed to know that He saw her. Jesus cares for her, and her faith in who He is, healed her. He could have healed her quietly and walked on, but instead Jesus pointed her out in the crowd. He wanted her to see how much she meant to Him - so much so that He called her “Daughter” and at that moment, adopted this disregarded, outcast woman into His family. She was no longer unwanted, but a daughter of the King!
When we are struggling, trying to juggle all the “little things”, remember that Jesus is already here, waiting to meet you and me in our time of need. Faith like a mustard seed was all it took to touch the very periphery of Jesus’ coat. So go in peace, my dear friends, for your Faith has healed you.
Jesus Sees Us, Continued!
Part 2 -Continuation of Mark 5.
In this same passage, book-ending the story of the woman, is the faith of Jairus. Jairus was a leader in the community, well-respected and loved by all who knew him. His daughter was sick and dying and everyone was afraid for her sake. Jairus went to find Jesus to see if He would heal his daughter. Jesus, when the woman touched Him, was on His way to Jairus’ house.
Jesus points out the woman (literally) and that her faith healed her, a woman no one wanted to be with nor near to. Jairus, however, was an official and everyone wanted to be near him. While Jesus was ministering to the woman, Jairus got word that his daughter died. But Jesus said to him, after the woman was healed, “Jairus, your daughter is a sleep, don’t listen to them, listen to me.”
Jairus didn’t have faith; he simply believed that Jesus could heal his daughter, but didn’t believe that Jesus was the I AM, the Son of God, the Creator of the universe. Jairus was sidetracked with his own little moment and couldn’t see Jesus in it. But Jesus could - He knew what was about to happen. This highly thought of man didn’t have the faith of a lowly woman - and Jesus calls him on it. Jesus still healed his daughter, but in secret, and told them not to say anything to anyone.
Yet, Jesus calls out the woman in front of “a great crowd” and makes a big deal about her faith. Jesus cares about us, no matter who we are, what we’ve done, or what we have. He cares about us in the big mountain top experiences but also in the day-to-day, moment by moment experiences of our normal lives.
Will you have faith today like the woman, or like Jairus? I pray you’ll let Jesus draw you closer into His family, calling you daughter or son, and experience the joy that faith in our Creator will bring.
