Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/1co.13.4-5.KJV
We all become distracted and frustrated which leads to a miserable feeling bringing us down to the point of depression. But…Paul wrote something which we should all take to heart and claim it as ours, especially in today’s world. Here is what the apostle Paul wrote: Philippians 4:13 (KJV)
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
By depending upon Jesus and His strength for us and for the problems which we face today or tomorrow, we can be victorious in overcoming them! We may not feel strong at the time, but if we focus on His provision of strength for us today and then again tomorrow, we will be the victor in all of our endeavors.
Remember, faith as small as a mustard seed can accomplish a lot through Jesus Christ and Jesus can accomplish a lot through us IF we will give our life, our body and our hands to Him to use today and tomorrow and the day after that, etc. It is a daily walk and a daily decision to give your day, and whatever comes in that day, to Him.
This is not a magic formula because Satan is going to try to trip you up and discourage you, daily, but if you can give your day to Jesus and keep that faith in Him during your day, then it will be a victorious day for you and for Jesus too!
For Jude, family was not everything. He was the brother of James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem and the son of Joseph and Mary. Being the half-brother of our Lord Jesus he had occasions to watch Him as He grew to manhood, but Jude didn’t come to a saving knowledge of our Lord until after the resurrection. His epistle is meant for the early church but much of it pertains to us today. There were false teachers appearing in the church, just as they are today, telling people one thing which would bring them salvation. But, those “false teachers” were not bold in their speech, they were very subtil in their teaching, containing just enough truth so as not to be recognized.
Jude calls himself “a bondservant of Jesus Christ”, and the brother of James. He doesn’t emphasize that he is the Lord’s half-brother since that would play on the early Church’s devotion to Jesus.
Jude Greetings from Jude
(James 1:1-1)
1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, [and] called: 2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.
God’s Judgment on the Ungodly
(Genesis 4:1-7; Romans 2:1-16)
3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort [you] that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. 4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. 6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. 7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
8 Likewise also these [filthy] dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. 10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. 11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. 12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds [they are] without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; 13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard [speeches] which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. 16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling [words], having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.
A Call to Persevere
(Hebrews 10:19-39)
17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. 19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. 20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22 And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23 And others save with fear, pulling [them] out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Doxology
(Romans 11:33-36; Romans 16:25-27)
24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, [be] glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
Jude is exhorting the church to stand firm in their faith which they have believed unto salvation and to stand in that faith even when they hear a doctrine which doesn’t go along with what they have been taught before. Stay true to the faith in Jesus Christ whom you have believed!
Don’t turn away from the teachings which you have heard and read from God’s Word during your life as a Christian.
Is this little book relevant today? By all means it is! People don’t want to know the Truth of Scripture because they reject much of the Truth contained in it, not because it isn’t true but because it convicts them of their sins and they don’t want to hear it.
The rest of the letter of Jude speaks toward the church standing firm in their faith, just as the first few verses did. It talks of those who were apostates to the faith in Jesus and who were trying to subvert the teachings in the young church at the time. Jude was telling the believers to rebuke those who were bringing false teachings into the church and leading people off the path of Light and into teachings which would contradict those which Jesus and His disciples were teaching.
It matters to the church today because there are many who are rejecting the Bible outright, not only the teachings found in the New Testament but they are ridiculing the Scripture of the Old Testament, claiming that it has no meaning for today’s church. Yet, every book of the Bible teaches about Jesus in some way. He is spoken of as the Seed of the woman, the Rock, the pillar of Fire and Smoke, the Angel of the Lord, the Good Shepherd, the Son of Man and so on. He is mentioned in some form or type in all of Scripture which means that the entire Bible is relevant and useful for instruction and teaching in our modern world today.
Take the message of Jude to heart and make sure that you are ready to defend your faith if it is ever called into question or if you see or hear someone speaking of a doctrine which is not in the Bible or which sounds like it came from God’s Word but it didn’t.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/1co.15.58.KJV
Is this even possible in the 21st century? Yes, it is! The love of God shows through the love expressed when a child needs to be comforted for whatever reason. We show the love of God to each other in many ways, sometimes daily. You may be wondering, “How can God’s love be shown where the belief in God is not present?”.
Well, it is a little dangerous for the church, the body of Jesus Christ on Earth, to go to some places where the love of God is desperately needed. But…it is possible. We can show the love of God to each person that we meet. We don’t have to do much or even say much, just pray for them, pray over your food in the restaurant, be a disciple that they can see Jesus in.
God’s love can be shown to others in ways that aren’t overt or apparent to many people, but it is possible. Give away something or do something for someone without regard for payment or getting anything in return. The love of God is shown in the Bible from cover to cover because every action which God did for the Jewish people He also did for every person on Earth!
The love of God is expressed and seen in this verse: John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life”.
The Love of God is manifested in the Word of God and the Word of God became flesh and was the Son of God.
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
Psalms 139:13-14 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.139.13-14.KJV
These are people who love you and care about your problems even when they have their own to take care of. When you show up at their door unannounced and you are feeling as if the whole world is against you, they will show you that they care, even if it is in the middle of the night. Jesus is the Greatest Friend that you can have, so make sure you visit His house and tell Him that you love Him and care about Him too, because He loved you enough that He died on a cross for your sins and then came out of the grave so that you will also have a chance at eternity IF you will accept Him as your Friend and give your heart to Him.
But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
1 Samuel 16:7 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/1sa.16.7.KJV
Have you ever seen a sculptor bringing something beautiful out of a piece of wood or granite? God can see what is inside each of us, even if we don’t know what it is or that it is even there. He knows all about our weaknesses and our strengths because He formed us in the womb. So, what’s inside you?
Have you even thought about what’s inside you that could be useful in God’s Kingdom? Most of us who haven’t given our hearts to God or rather to Jesus don’t think about stuff like this until the day when the Holy Spirit gets our attention in one way or another. Then when we really think about it, the implications of our usefulness to God are overwhelming especially when we are just beginning to learn about Him and read His Word. Sometimes that realization can blow our minds to the point of our stepping away from Him for a while, but God’s purpose for you won’t be denied. He will use you in some way in His Kingdom and His purposes.
Sometimes we will be like Jonah and run from Him but also like Jonah we will be brought back to the place where God is going to use us. It may take a while, depending on how hard or how far you run, but He will bring you back. Because your purpose and your gifts and talents aren’t fully formed until you are in the place where He wants you to be. God loves you and He does have a purpose for your life. Just as He did for Pharaoh and for Moses and for Joshua and every other person that He has used and will use in the future.
Sometimes that purpose is one of rebellion and sometimes it is one which God will use to bring someone to the knowledge of Jesus and His grace. He can use both you know. The point I am trying to make is that God is like a potter or a sculptor. Only He can see the person inside you that He can use to do His will, whatever that may be.
The limits which you place on your usefulness are weak compared to what God can see inside you. When He calls you into His service then you need to answer that call because it is the Creator that is calling you. Don’t turn away from Him and don’t run from Him either. Whatever His call on your life and for His Kingdom is important enough that He gave you the ability and the gifts to accomplish it, whether you realize it or not.
John the Baptist was called even before he was born which is why he leaped in the womb when Mary called out Elizabeth’s name. Even then he knew that she was carrying His Savior! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could recognize our Savior’s voice when He calls to us like that? Then maybe there wouldn’t be so many people who have an empty place in their lives which they spend many years trying to fill without success until they meet Jesus.
Think about it.
In the world today there are so many people who are going through many problems. Health problems, money problems, relationship problems and of course spiritual problems too. So, how can we come out of these places where it seems that there is nothing but problems?
By giving our problems to the One Who can fix them or change our circumstances or in some way have a positive effect on those problems in our lives. The main “problem” that many of us have when we try to do this is that we have a string or a chain tied to the problem and when we leave it on the altar for God to take care of…we usually drag it back off and pull it around like a wagon. Why can’t we leave it there? Because we think that we should take care of our problems.
We don’t really think that God has time for all of our problems and everyone else’s problems too. But when we think like this we are making God into our picture, our idea of Him. We change our perception of Him and think of HIm as being almost as limited as we are! How can our Creator be that weak and impotent? Why would we limit Him in this way?
I think it is probably because we can’t imagine in our minds that He is bigger than our minds can imagine or even comprehend. So we try to make Him fit in a human box so we can relate to Him. That is the very reason that Jesus came to us in human form, not only to be the Savior and the Redeemer of the world, but to show us that God can fit in our lives without us putting limits on Him.
This may be the reason that many people have trouble believing that God will or can answer their prayers. It is hard to imagine God as omnipotent when you don’t see it happening or you don’t learn about His power in the world around us. If you think of God in terms of humanity without belief in Jesus, which limits God’s power, then your unbelief in His omnipotence will limit His power in your prayer life.
Expecting His work and His answer to your prayers is part of your faith in Him, as long as you don’t place a limit on Him in your thinking. So why do people do this? Mainly because there are many who think that all of the miracles happened as the church began. But, miracles are happening all around us every day. In people’s lives which are touched by cancer or when children are born completely healthy with no problems, God has a hand in all of our lives, whether we know about it or not.
LIves are changed all around us each day. Sometimes it is because of prayers, sometimes God is working in those people’s lives even when they haven’t asked for it just because He is God and He has a plan for their lives. God’s plans will always make a difference because His will for you and me and anyone that He has a hand on will never backfire!
Seek Him in your life and for your life because He can and will make a difference in your life for your good and for His glory! Amen
The Living Message of Christ 