December 18, 2015

LEARN IT, KNOW IT, LIVE IT

Jude 1

Dru Guillot
Friday's Devo

December 18, 2015

Friday's Devo

December 18, 2015

Central Truth

Those who read, hear, and obey this prophecy will receive a special blessing from God. Abide in God's Word and constantly strive to grow in relationship with Him.

Key Verse | Revelation 1:3

God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near. (Revelation 1:3)

Jude 1

Greeting

Jude, a servant 1 1:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface of Jesus Christ and brother of James,

To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for 2 1:1 Or by Jesus Christ:

Footnotes

[1] 1:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface
[2] 1:1 Or by

Dive Deeper | Jude 1

These chapters hold some of the best encouragement for us who believe in Christ—great rewards await those of us who believe and follow Him! Despite the multiple themes and directions in these chapters, one thing is clear: By knowing and abiding in His Word, we enter into a deeper relationship with Him.

We are warned to avoid false teachers. In this day and age, false teachers are becoming more prevalent; they are leading people from the truth and into the darkest of lies. How will we know when we encounter a false teacher? Answer: Having a sound knowledge of the Word of God. We transform our minds by abiding in God's Word—not just knowing it superficially, but by living out its instruction.

While reading Revelation, I often ask, "With which church do I most identify?" I relate most to the church in Ephesus. In Revelation 2:4-5, God points out that they don't love Him as they did in the beginning. They must turn back to their first deeds when they came to know Christ.

Before I knew Christ, my life was defined by alcohol, drugs, lust, money, a broken marriage, etc. But when my heart understood what Christ's death and resurrection meant for my life, everything changed. I was on fire for Christ! I dove into His Word and labored to equip myself. I had an intimate, abiding relationship with God and couldn't get enough of Him. While my life started to improve, the pride of my flesh led me to depend less on Him. I was spending time with Him only out of habit, rather than out of my fervent love for Him. I forgot my previous toil.

God tells the church of Ephesus to have the same fire now as in the beginning. I, too, must remember my past and where His unfailing grace allowed me to see fullness of life with Him. 

In Be Victorious, pastor and author Warren Wiersbe wrote, "The church that loses its love will soon lose its light, no matter how doctrinally sound it may be." Let our hearts and church never lose love. Let us be a light on a hill for all to see!

Discussion Questions

1. What steps can you take, and what resources are you willing to seek out, in order to study God's Word and have a deeper understanding of it?

2. With which of the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 do you most identify and why?

3. If you read and study God's Word but lack the abiding relationship, what do you think is missing? How can you develop that relationship?