Today we arrive at Thirty Three days of reading the New Testament. Awesome! This is quite an accomplishment and one that leaves us with only 7 more days of reading before we complete the whole New Testament. Yeah!
And, as a incentive to keep on keeping on, we only had to read one chapter today (of course Jude has only one chapter, but who’s counting?). So as we approached this lofty book and scaled the heights and depths of its page…
This is what I got from my reading of the book of Jude today.
“They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted – twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.” Oh my goodness! The description that Jude gives for these people who “had slipped in” to the congregation of believers is pretty critical. In fact, I would say that to be one of these folks was not a good thing at all. This made me think about what has been given us as believers and the call to be faithful with it.
The truth about Jesus is not just head knowledge. It is a consistent living out of the things that we know in our minds. It is expressing the good fruit of Galatians 5 in all our relationships, both in the church (fellowship of believers) and outside of the church. It is not being like Jude describes in relation to these people he characterizes as rainless clouds (ungodly, grumblers, rebels, not understanding the things of God, blemishes within the congregation, faultfinders, divisive, without the Holy Spirit in their lives and selfishly agenda ridden in all they do). Whew! I wouldn’t want to be one of these folks.
Yet, I had to ask myself the question, if I sometimes don’t act like one of these. Am I self driven at any point? Do I find fault first and “barely” express grace later? Do I grumble? (I hate that question) Does my agenda supersede the Lord’s will? (Ouch!) And, finally, do I act, some days, as if the Holy Spirit doesn’t live in me at all?
I asked myself these questions, because I don’t want to be one of those people that Jude describes. They have no future. They have no promise to look forward to, but death and separation from the Lord. They have no hope on the earth, because they have made self god and denied the presence of the only One who can give us life abundant. These folks are a train wreck. I have even seen these folks in church, denying truth that is right in front of them. And I don’t want to be one like them.
Oh God, help us all to ask ourselves these questions. Help us to get to the only real answer for our world, the church and our very own lives. Help us to see the big picture and realize, in and of ourselves, we are but microscopic at best. Oh God help us to be given to You in everything, as a blessing to those around us, lifting up Your name alone, who is our Savior. Now to You “be the glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
Until tomorrow. Blessings!
Leave a Reply