Today’s reading is from the Book of Jude, which I had never read before. Jude is the second to last book of the Bible, before the book of Revelations. I will list a few books and verses throughout my journal today to provide references to Jude’s teachings, which for me, builds the case for the legitimacy and application of the teachings of the book.
The opening line of the Book of Jude is “Jude is a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James.” James was the author of the New Testament book of James, and he was the half-brother of Jesus. Mary, Jesus’ mother, was the mother of James and Jude. So, this means that Jude was also a half-brother of Jesus. In addition to learning that Jesus had another brother, I learned in Acts 1:14 that Jesus’ brothers became disciples after the resurrection of Jesus. 1 Corinthians 9:5 tells us Jesus’ brothers became “leaders and missionaries” of the Gospel. James and Jude do not appear to have believed Jesus was the Son of God while He was on earth. Every family has their challenges. Seems like there might have been some arguments and angst amongst their family while Jesus was on earth spreading the Gospel. I digress.
The Book of Jude was written to an unknown church is crisis. Jude rebuked the teachings of corrupt teachers and encouraged Godly living. Jude was alarmed that the teachers had distorted God’s grace as a “license to sin.” Jude provided three stark examples of immorality and sin by referencing rebellious people in Numbers 14, Genesis 6, and the deplorable men of Sodom in Genesis 19. Jude is imploring the people in his letter to the dangers of immorality of sin and testing God.
Although these Biblical stories seem harsh and difficult to relate in the context of our world, the message has application today. We should build our lives on the goodness, love, and grace of God, by following His Son Jesus’ teachings. We are all sinners and fall away from God daily, due to our nature to sin (Romans 8:5, Galatians 5:19-21, Ecclesiastes 7:20, 1 John 1:8). We are tempted by the same emotions and feelings that the ancient Biblical figures were, and we can relate in our world today of the difficulty to recognize when we are in the moments in time when we need to ask God for forgiveness and repent for our sins. By reading our Bibles and studying scriptures, we can keep ourselves centered on the Word of God and hold ourselves accountable to following the teachings of the Bible.
I am a work in progress and what I have learned about my faith is that I must be “all in” on my commitment to Christ. Trying to live life while picking and choosing the parts of the Gospel I want to follow and ignore the parts I don’t, does not work. We must not accept some sins in our life and “turn our heads” to the disappointment that God feels in us. In John 14:15, Jesus said “If you love Me, keep my commandments.” Being a Christian comes with conviction, responsibility, and commitment. I must be willing to take a hard look at how I am living my life and ensure I follow the teachings of Christ.
Beyond following the Gospel, ourselves, Christ charged us to spread the Word and bring others to believe. I appreciate Jude for having the courage to love the church he wrote to enough that he “calls out” examples of God’s judgment as he wants to provide them salvation from their sins. I think Jesus has charged you and I to do the same. Reach out to family and friends that are struggling, witness the loving Gospel, and encourage them to establish a relationship with Jesus. We must have the courage to lovingly confront sin, in our lives first (Matthew 7:3-5), and others second. I pray that this message today points you to evaluate the sin in your life and ask for forgiveness. Or perhaps there is an important person in your life that you must address, lovingly, to express your concern for their life. Bring your prayers to Christ and pray for the loved one who is on your mind. I pray we have the courage to live our lives like Jesus encouraged us to, bringing as many others as possible to His loving arms.
