From Dangerous Thinking to Faithful Living- November 27, 2024

Read: Jude 1:20-25

But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
Jude 1:20,21

From Dangerous Thinking to Faithful Living

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Did you know that Jude is the author of one of the shortest books of the Bible?! Jude wrote a letter to believers to keep their focus on the good news about grace and forgiveness in Jesus. Jude also wanted to warn his dear friends about the false teachers and godless people among them. Some of them were misusing the gospel as permission to sin. They claimed that they could do that because God would forgive them anyway.

By faith, we can see how wrong that teaching is! It’s dangerous to our faith to purposefully go on sinning. Sin separates people from God. No wonder Jude felt the need to point out the error and steer the Christians away from this wrong way of living.

Even today, there are people who claim they don’t need a Savior because they are good people. Others claim to be Christians while continuing to live openly sinful lifestyles. Are they confused in their thinking? Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, this kind of thinking separates people from God.

When we look at our own hearts, we can see how confused they can be. Our pride can cause us to fall. We may lie because it’s just a “little” lie. We may disobey parents and others in authority because our sinful nature says, “It feels good” or “It’s what I want.” Plus, we know God will forgive us, so why not? This way of thinking is dangerous for our faith.

We need Jude’s encouragement: “Keep yourselves in God’s love.” To do that, we need to keep reading, hearing, and learning his Word. In this way, the Holy Spirit will grow our faith, and the fruits of faith will follow. With hearts full of God’s love, we will also keep praying that God guides us in holy living. Will we keep on sinning? Unfortunately, yes, but it doesn’t mean you have to like it! May God’s Word grow our faith and make us want to do God’s will. Remember, God’s grace covers us!

As we live in that grace, what a comfort to know that God keeps us in his love and care until he calls us to our eternal home in heaven!

Closing Prayer:

Dear heavenly Father, forgive us for the times we have wandered from your Word. Create in us the desire for your Word and to walk in your commands. Send your Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen our faith that we may live for you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• How can we show our love for God?
• What does God promise to do for us while we wait for him to take us to heaven?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• What can you do the next time you are tempted to sin?
• In what ways does God show he really loves and cares for us?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Read again the two verses from Jude. What was separating people from the true God?
• How do we see “false teachers” in our world today? Discuss how we can be equipped to detect their false teachings and turn from them.