Thursday 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:
- The challenge on Sunday was to PASTOR your PEOPLE, but don't FLIRT with FILTH. You are the one God wants to use to reach your circles. You have access and influence that pastors at church do not have. 2 Corinthians 5 says that this task of reconciling people to God is our FEARFUL RESPONSIBILITY to the Lord and that we are His ambassadors. "We speak for Christ when we plead, 'Come back to God!' How comfortable are you with sharing with people that need it? How can you get MORE comfortable? How faithful are you when it comes to being the light that shines into the darkness around you?
- Jude referenced a story in Zechariah 3 where Joshua, the high priest, had been accused by Satan. But God rebuked the accuser. Then the "angel of the Lord", aka Jesus, removed Joshuas soiled garments and replaced them with clean ones. Imagine you are dressed in a robe of white. And every time you sin, every time you even think a sinful thought, Satan walks up and writes it on your robe. Every single thing you've ever done wrong, one after the other, being displayed. And this continues for your whole life. But Jesus comes up to you, as you're covered in filth, and trades robes with you. He takes your filthy, soiled, disgusting rags and puts them on Himself, and he puts His brilliant robe of white on you. This is what He did for you on the cross... the beautiful exchange. When we fully grasp what He did for us, we overflow with gratitude and humility and we want everyone else we love to experience the same thing. When we love God with all our hearts and love others like ourselves, we can't just look the other way. What is God speaking to you through these truths? What is He asking you to do or change?
Prayer Topics:
- That you would be a light in the darkness.
- That you would love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love others as yourself.
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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