Monday Devo
Scripture:
Jude
22 And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. 23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.
22 And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. 23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.
Commentary:
22–23 On Showing Mercy. The church is called to show mercy to everyone, even its opponents.
23 To save (Gk. sōzō) some people (i.e., to lead them to faith in Christ) involves snatching them out of the fire, meaning they were close to the fire of God’s judgment. Others who are caught up in immorality should also be shown mercy, but with fear, lest the faithful Christian be influenced for evil by the person he is trying to restore. Hating even the garment stained by the flesh (cf. Zech. 3:3–5) implies hating the sin and everything connected with it; but the sinner himself should be treated with mercy rather than hatred.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2451.
23 To save (Gk. sōzō) some people (i.e., to lead them to faith in Christ) involves snatching them out of the fire, meaning they were close to the fire of God’s judgment. Others who are caught up in immorality should also be shown mercy, but with fear, lest the faithful Christian be influenced for evil by the person he is trying to restore. Hating even the garment stained by the flesh (cf. Zech. 3:3–5) implies hating the sin and everything connected with it; but the sinner himself should be treated with mercy rather than hatred.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2451.
Questions:
- Last week, Jude encouraged us to build up our faith by knowing the Word, praying in the Spirit and waiting with anticipation for Jesus' return. And now that our faith is strong, we are to try and save others. The first group he tells us to go after is the DOUBTER. This is a believer that is wavering in their faith. They have a lot of questions and they might turn to questionable places for answers. Their faith might get shaky when life gets hard. Has this ever described you? Are you there now? How can we assure ourselves of truth when we start to waver?
- We are to be patient with people that are doubting and treat them with mercy and compassion. Jesus modeled this for us during His earthly ministry. To those who were confused, unsure, and filled with doubts, He patiently and gently handled them with grace and truth, leaning a little heavier on the grace side. Do you know someone like this? How can you patiently and lovingly lead them back towards truth?
Prayer Topics:
- That God would show you who needs compassion from you.
- That God would use you to minister to the doubter.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
1. Who is Jesus? I believe Jesus is God because Jesus said He is God and proved it by rising from the dead and appearing to His disciples, His brother James, 500 others at one time, and Paul.
(Mark 3:21; John 8:58, 10:30-33, 14:9-11; Acts 9:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; James 1:1)
(Mark 3:21; John 8:58, 10:30-33, 14:9-11; Acts 9:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; James 1:1)
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