“Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.“ Jude 1:22-23 Jude was the brother of James, and the writer of the second to last book in the Bible. This book is very revealing to me of the things that we are dealing with right now. It really make the line clear on what is black and what is white. Without the Bible, we begin to live in a world where we don’t know what is right or wrong. Indeed we see that within culture, people don’t know what they are doing and what their purpose is. The Bible does the exact opposite, it reveals everything about us and directs us to where we should go. The Bible is the law, it keeps us doing what is right, and it is an absolute truth to go back to at all times. The book of Jude also gives us a great calling to reach out with mercy and love to those who are lost. It seems clear to me that the coming of Christ is coming fast, and people need to hear the truth. At the same time, the truth spoken without mercy is some ways worthless. The truth is, Jesus has grace on all, and we are all sinners that need to repent. This simple truth, is the gospel. What I love about the gospel, is that it not only saves each of us, but it is a gift given to all of us to give to others. We have the power to go to a person, and literally snatch them from the fire of hell. That is incredible to me, better than any action movie we could watch. Because of the work of Christ on the cross, we can receive and spread the gift of eternal freedom to people. That is a life worth living, reaching in and grabbing someone from the fire. I also love how the verse above tells us to show mercy mixed with fear/hate towards clothing stained by corrupted flesh. We are called to show grace to people, but with fear and hate of the things that are corrupt. We are free and cleansed from those things which bring forth death, therefore we should not approach them lightly. With grace we approach people, but with fear we are on guard against the things that stain the hearts of so many. As I just simply pursue the Lord and grow in Him, the sinful things that once defined my life grow very dim. If I ever return to them, my heart and soul become sick for what is true and right. We were meant for God, not for the things of this world, so do not be surprised at the pain you are experiencing. We have not reached our final destination yet. Turn to the Lord, and fill yourself with the things of His word. Your stain will be washed white as snow, and your life will be filled with joy because you know that there is a greater day coming! Use the time you have for something that lasts forever, reach out with grace to those around you, and snatch them from the fire of hell. It is by the blood of Christ that we are able to do all things. -Noah
Posted on: Wed, 02 Oct 2013 07:58:39 +0000