Hold Tight to God
The letter of Jude is a short letter that covers both warning and encouragement. Jude is writing to a group of believers, and he is warning believers that there are some ungodly people in their midst. Some of these people are teaching false doctrine and leading others astray.
Jude warns them to be confident that they are grounded in the truth of God so that they won’t be affected by those who seek to slander or divide them.
Part of his encouragement is to remember the words of Jesus (Jude 1:17). His readers need to continually remember what Jesus said as a way of remaining faithful to that message.
He also encourages them to remain faithful to the things they believed about their own faith, and to continue praying in the Spirit. Reading Scripture, praying in the Spirit, and remaining faithful to God are all critical elements of living a mature Christian life.
That’s why in Jude 1:21, he tells his readers to keep themselves in the love of God as they wait for the day when Jesus will return to make all things new. God’s love isn’t something we experience once—it’s something we continually encounter and participate in.
Jude’s words are relevant to anyone who believes in Jesus. We all need to be engaged in Scripture so that we have confidence in the truths that we believe. As we do that, we should regularly have conversations with God. The more often we do this, the more we are immersed in reminders of His great love.
Take a few moments to think of how you can deepen the time you spend with God. Write down a few steps that you can take to engage in your relationship with Him in new ways.
First Things First
There are plenty of things in life that beg for our attention. Our days are filled with relationships and responsibilities, all of which take time.
In Jesus’ famous sermon in Matthew 6, He spends some time talking about the various things we give our attention to. He explains that instead of spending all of our time and energy worrying about our basic need and desires in life, we should first seek His kingdom and His righteousness. If we do that, everything else will fall into place.
So, what does it mean to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness?
God’s kingdom is about God’s rule and reign over all of creation. His kingdom was unleashed during Jesus’ ministry on earth, and is now growing and expanding throughout the global Church. The work of the kingdom is to continue to tell others about the hope of Jesus, and to teach everything that Jesus has commanded.
To seek God’s righteousness is to desire to live the way God intended. It's to live according to God’s...