Tuesday Devo

Jude
24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. 25 All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.

24–25 Doxology of Great Joy. As Jude ascribes all glory, majesty, dominion, and authority to God, he reminds believers of what God is doing for them as they await Christ’s return.

24 Just as the false teachers are “kept” by God for judgment (see 2 Pet. 2:9; cf. 2 Pet. 2:4; 3:7; Jude 6), so also he has infinite power to keep from stumbling those who have put their faith in him. By “stumbling” Jude means falling into sin or error (Gk. aptaistos, “without stumbling”; cf. ptaiō, “stumble,” in Rom. 11:11; James 2:10; 3:2; 2 Pet. 1:10). If such stumbling is left unchecked it will eventually lead to falling away from the faith. Yet Jude says God will never let his own fall away but will “keep” them by his grace (cf. note on Jude 21). He will present the Christian blameless (with no stain or sin) before the presence of his glory, the brightness that surrounds the presence of God and visibly manifests his holy character. This can only be effected by God’s power, through Jesus Christ the Lord. The only possible response to the work of God on behalf of believers is great joy (Gk. agalliasis, “great joy, exultation”), which suggests an exclamation of joy and praise.

25 the only God. There is only one God, who has acted redemptively (our Savior), once for all, in his one and only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. (On God as “Savior,” see note on 2 Tim. 1:8–10.) through Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus is the mediator through whom the person who trusts in him is able to give praise and thanksgiving to God. The church praises God through Christ, saying, to God be glory (here in the sense of great honor), majesty (Gk. megalōsynē; he is greater than all), dominion (Gk. kratos; his sovereign reign has no boundaries), and authority (Gk. exousia; he rules over all creation); in other words, may the praiseworthiness of God, who is as gracious as he is great, be fully acknowledged in his people’s adoration of him. Before all time means before the beginning of creation (Gen. 1:1) and suggests that time began when God created the material universe (cf. 2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 1:2). And now and forever shifts the focus into the present and then into the infinite future. Amen. I.e., “let it be so.”


Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2452.

It is dangerously easy to confuse proximity to Jesus with a relationship with Jesus. You can be in the building, use the right vocabulary, and sit in a small group, yet still be spiritually drifting. As Brandon said, salvation is owned by faith, but it is shown by deeds.


Think about your private world; your thoughts when you’re alone, your reactions when you’re frustrated, and the way you treat people who can do nothing for you.

• If someone had a bird's eye view on your life for the last 30 days, would they see the Fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience...), or would they just see a moral person who is really good at maintaining a religious routine?
• In what ways have you been relying on being near the church to give you a sense of security, rather than actually being with Jesus?

A living faith doesn't just mean you are doing more for God; it means you are becoming different because of God! It shows up in the quiet moments when no one is watching: a sudden conviction to be honest when a lie would be easier, or a real sense of peace when your world is falling apart. That isn't trying harder, that is the Holy Spirit producing fruit.

• If you’re honest, are you currently coasting on the fruit of a previous season? If you haven't seen the Holy Spirit move or change your heart in a while, what distraction is currently stopping your faith from growing?
• If you compared your inner life today to your inner life a year ago, where is the most obvious spiritual growth spurt? Is there a specific sin that used to have a grip on you that no longer feels as appealing, or a fruit (like joy or kindness) that is now growing?

2. Are there sources outside the Bible that confirm the Biblical account of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead?  Many Roman and Jewish historians have confirmed that the apostles died as martyrs for preaching that they saw Jesus risen from the grave. No one dies for something they know to be a lie.

(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)