Daily Devotional Thoughts All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.  This Week’s Study: Jude 1:12-25 Monday - Living a life with meaning. These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever (Jude 1:12-13). In today’s devotional Jude paints a scathing picture of someone who lives only for him or herself.  And what a picture he paints!  “Serving only themselves.”  Like “clouds without water, . . . late autumn trees without fruit, . . . raging waves of the sea, . . . wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.”  What an apt description of a life lived selfishly! A farmer or even a vegetable gardener knows what needing rain is all about.  Needing rain and watching clouds billow across the sky, empty clouds that bring no refreshment.  Jude says those of us who live only to bring happiness to ourselves are like trees who bear no fruit and we’ll end up in the blackness of darkness forever. Thank God our lives don’t need to be squandered in selfishness.  With God’s help, we can live lives of meaning, lives that bring joy and change for the better to others.  By choosing to live unselfish lives we can make eternal differences to those we meet on this earth. Tuesday - Judgment is coming. Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage (Jude 1:14-16). So many times we ignore the reality of the great day of judgment.  Sometimes we err when  we portray the love of God because we ignore the justice of God.  At other times we err when we ignore God’s love and concentrate too largely on the necessity of God’s great judgment day. Much of Jude focuses on the reality of the coming judgment and the ultimate destruction of wrong doers. Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage (Jude 1:14-16). In the last few verses of this chapter, Jude provides the proper balance.  Our takeaway for today is clear: Let us live keeping always in mind that we face God’s judgment.  And the good news is we can face judgement unafraid when we belong to God!  “‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life’” (John 3:16). Wednesday  - In the last times many will walk according to their own lusts. But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life (Jude 1:17-21). Our text today begins with “But” so we realize it is in contrast to or building on the thoughts of the previous verses.  Looking back we see Jude talking about the judgment day, when all those have lived ungodly lives will have judgment executed. Now he reminds us that the apostles told us “there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.”  They don’t have the Spirit, they are sensual people, they cause divisions because they don’t have the Spirit. What is the solution? How do we keep ourselves from becoming the self-centered, ungodly people described here in Jude?  Keep ourselves in the love of God!  God has the way of escape already in place! “‘But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life’” (Jude 1:17). Thursday  - Pull them out of the fire. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh (Jude 1:22-23 KJV). Each individual has different strengths, different weaknesses, different needs.  Reaching lost sinners requires different methods and a great amount of tact and love.  Our text tells us to make a difference, not in the value of one soul over another, but in the way we reach out to each lost individual.  Here is how Paul put it: And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some (1 Corinthians 9:20-22 KJV). That is our calling.  Let’s be about our Father’s business! Friday/Weekend - Contend earnestly for the faith. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen (Jude 1:24-25). Jude wraps up his epistle with encouragement.  Matter of fact in verse 24 we find some of the most encouraging words in the Bible.  “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.” What a tremendous text!  We should all commit this one to memory!  He is able to keep you from falling!  No matter what comes, He is able to keep you from falling!  And beyond that, He presents you faultless before God!  What an amazing thing. In spite of the very real warning of the previous verses, He is able!  He is able to keep me from falling!  He is able to keep you from falling! And to present us as faultless before God the father.   I can face judgement with no fear because I belong to Jesus AND He presents me faultless before God! Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen (Jude 1:24-25). Press <Control>+D to bookmark this page 2010-2012 Marvin Glass, Inc. And now back to more great Southern Gospel Music!