Jude
Remember those "mom warnings" they gave us as we were growing up. Quite a few of them were really good advice and could have spared me a truck load of grief if I had paid attention. Here is a list of some of my favorites.
"Shut that door, you weren't raised in a barn."
"You would forget your head if it wasn't fastened on."
"You have enough dirt behind those ears to grow potatoes."
"If everyone jumped off a bridge, would you?"
"Stop crying or I'll give you something to cry about."
"Money doesn't grow on trees."
And my favorite "Wait until your father gets home." This made us really glad to see dad at the end of the day.
Jude, the half brother of Jesus, is giving us warnings in his short letter. These warnings are given to keep is on the right pathway as we follow Jesus.
"Beware of changing the grace of God into a license for immorality."
"Beware of people who deny the deity of Jesus Christ."
"Beware of those who say we can sin without any consequences."
"Beware of scoffers who say Jesus is not returning to this planet."
And finally, "beware of people who think spiritual growth will just magically occur in our lives".
In verses 20-22 Jude reminds us that we have a responsibility to intentionally build our spiritual muscles. We grow these muscles by increasing faith, praying in the Spirit, waiting patiently in trials, keeping ourselves in God's love and showing mercy to those who doubt.
As we wind down the last days of 2017 can I ask you a personal question? How much has your faith grown this year? On a scale of one to ten, with one being no growth and ten being an outstanding year, what is your number?
Jude says we are to take personal responsibility for building up our faith. That means we are all still under construction and it is time to come up with a building plan. Our blog team of writers can supply encouragement, but you must do the construction. As we think of a new year starting in 23 days it would be a good time to intentionally set up a building plan for your spiritual growth in 2018. I would encourage you to read through the Bible again in 2018 but this time take someone along on the journey with you.
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