JUDE 1:20-21

But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life! (MSG)

TO PONDER:

The book of Jude hardly rates as a “book”, with only 25 verses (there were no verse numbers in the original text) in Jude, there was debate in the authorship of Jude, and then Jude quotes from the Book of Enoch, a non-canonical book (not part of our modern Bible), and then there is the question of when it was written.

The Book of Jude was written as a defence of the “holy faith”, a defence of the teachings of Jesus (by his own brother?) recorded in the Gospels and the other Epistles. Jude was taking a stand against the bad teachings, and their resulting divisions that were slipping into the new church.

In today’s verses Jude’s advice is not to do an apologetics course with a focus on doctrinal studies to prepare them to be able to argue their personal stance on proto-gnosticism and the resurrection of the dead (fun times).

But, instead Jude encourages his readers to pray in the Holy Spirit (led by God) keeping love and grace at the centre, rather than forming gated communities of polarising arguments, with arms open and outstretched in welcome.

In other words, prayer is a defence against tribalism and a walled, fortified church. 

PRAYER: Loving God, I thank you for your unboundless love and grace you continue to show me a sinner, I ask you to help protect my heart from the judgement and anger I can use against those who seem to disagree with my theories I have created of you. Amen.

Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside