Pastor Russ Faust, Grace United Methodist, Kennard

DEVOTIONAL
8/2/24
Pray regularly, keep yourself in God’s love, and be patient

Greetings! My missive today is based on one of the shortest books of the New Testament — Jude. It’s the book right before The Revelation of John. It’s more of a short note; it doesn’t even have chapter numbers. I think it speaks to many of the issues we face today.

Jude 17–23 (KJV):
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.

I’ve included the passage in the King James Version, which is free from copyright restrictions. I suggest you look it up in a more modern version. But the basic message I’d like to convey is here.

Jude, who was the brother of Jesus and the disciple John, wrote the letter to churches warning of the pitfalls that Christianity might fall into. It was applicable then, as it is today. Jude (who was also known at Thaddeus) tells us that it is our duty to fight for God’s truth. Even over 2,000 years ago, finding and keeping ahold of the truth was difficult when there were so many false ideas. In this selection, Jude was against listening to false teachers who declared that Christians could do whatever they pleased without fear from God’s punishment.

Today, there are many flavors of Christianity we can choose to follow. Many tend to turn us away from Jesus. Losing our way often happens, regardless of the faith you follow. And today, there are many, many persons and institutions trying to lead us astray.

Jude reminds us that we need to build ourselves up in Christ regardless of our fortunes. In good times, and especially in bad times. Today, we find it easy to focus our attention on information that simply criticizes events. While important to keep abreast of news events, the ability to determine a truthful path requires us to keep building our Christian faith — concentrating on God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. We also need to work to build up our fellow citizens as well.

Prayer is required to keep us on the right path; however, remember it’s a discipline. And, as disciples, prayer is a job requirement. Just open up a conversation with God or Jesus on a regular basis. It doesn’t necessarily have to be structured, and you probably won’t get a response every time.

But with time, prayer becomes an excellent means of keeping in touch with God.

In verse 21, we’re told to keep in the love of God. This, too, can become difficult with so many distracting voices in today’s media trying to weaken that connection. But God’s love is unbreakable. One of my favorite sayings is that God loves you, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Finally, nothing happens as fast as we would like. Waiting is difficult, but a necessary part of being a Christian — especially in today’s world of immediate results and expectations. I do believe that everything that happens EVENTUALLY brings glory to God. The key word is eventually. So be patient.

Build yourself up; pray on a regular basis, keep yourself in God’s love, and be patient. These are the points Jude is talking about in the last half of his letter. If you worry about the news and where world events appear to be leading us, don’t keep reading about the world, but focus on a strong relationship with God. It is there you will find a more satisfying life.

RUSS FOUST is pastor at Grace United Methodist Church in Kennard.