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.
Luke 9
“Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece. And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them. And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where. Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead; and of some, that Elias had appeared; and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again. And Herod said, John have I beheaded: but who is this, of whom I hear such things? And he desired to see him. And the ...
God Keeps His Promises
“'The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.”
Jeremiah 33:14 NIV
A lot of people would have laughed at Jeremiah when he said these words. Why? Because it seemed like God had abandoned both Israel and Judah.
At this point in the story of the Bible, Israel is gone—wiped out by an invading army. Now Judah is alone, and another massive army is at their gates to destroy them too. The situation couldn’t have been more hopeless.
Have you ever experienced a moment like that? Maybe it was a life-changing loss, or impossibly difficult news. In those painful moments, it can feel impossible to trust God’s promises. The people listening to Jeremiah probably felt the same way. But it wasn’t the end of their story because circumstances can’t ruin God’s promises.
Yes, the enemy broke in and took God’s people into captivity for decades. But God didn’t abandon His people or give up on...