Friday, May 31, 2019
Thursday, May 30, 2019
Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Love in Action
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”-Romans 12:9-10 NLT
It can be pretty easy to give folks lip service. Like asking how they’re doing then pretending to care. Like saying you love someone when you don’t even really know them. Social courtesies are all they are, but some people really need a true expression of love, mercy and compassion from another human being. How can we determine whose intentions are real and who is just being courteous? The Lord can send a person to meet your need at any moment. It’s happened to me and I’m sure it’s happened to you.
So when you ask someone how they are, take the time to listen to how another person is doing. Then you can minister to them in some small way as a means of blessing them. That’s one way to stand out from the crowd.
In this pleasure dome of a world we are confronted with those things that displease God every day. We must, as a child of the King, be able to assess what is evil and what is good, then hate that which is evil and love that which is good. The Holy Spirit will guide you thru this maze of choices showing you what to hate and avoid and what to gravitate towards.
Paul instructs his readers to be devoted to one another in godly love. In other words we are to commit ourselves to the brethren without judging their words, actions or motivations. That’s not always easy but with God nothing is impossible so pray that the Lord allow his love to be the overriding force in your daily walk. People will see it and be drawn to it.
It’s not possible to express love to every believer in the entire Christian community. Instead, let the Lord lead you to those who are in need of his love. God will either draw them to you or you to them, but either way you will be honoring God. Be real! It will honor God and bless others. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller
Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.
Monday, May 27, 2019
Finishing the Lord’s Assignment
“I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.” “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”– Acts 20:21, 24 NLT
The Greeks listed above would be representative of Gentiles worldwide. There are two groups of people in God’s creation, Jews and Gentiles or non-Jews. Paul’s zeal was fueled by one message: a person’s repentance by virtue of God’s saving grace thru Christ Jesus. I can assure you that nothing this side of heaven is worth more than sharing the truth of the gospel.
We’re all different, made that way by God himself. I don’t happen to be a great orator like the Apostles Paul or Peter, but I write very well, by virtue of the gift of writing God has bestowed upon me. Some are evangelistic; still others exhibit a healthy, pure disposition of mercy and grace. God uses whom he chooses, the weak to display his strength, the stubborn to display his patience, the headstrong to display his compassion and mercy. Serving God doesn’t necessarily present you with recognition, fun, money or success; however, Paul didn’t consider worldly success something he needed to achieve. Since the Lord provides for us anything and everything we’ll ever need in this life, we need not strive for anything but obedience to Christ.
Paul loves to tell others of God’s wonderful grace, his undeserved favor. That favor initiates a single-mindedness that allows us to focus on the one great task given to us by God … spreading the gospel. If you are a true believer in Christ you will have a desire to do what you can to expand God’s kingdom. Be like Paul, the most prolific missionary known to man. Without the Lord you can’t do anything of eternal value, with the Lord nothing is impossible! Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller
Resource: The Life Applicant Study Bible.
Sunday, May 26, 2019
Is It Really Just Believing?
“That everyone having emunahin him may have Chayyei Olam.”- John 3:15Orthodox Jewish Bible
I thought it interesting to take a look at the above verse in the Orthodox Jewish Bible. The English text reads: “That everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.” The “him” refers to Jesus. There is more than one-way to look at the word believe in this verse. Believing in something or someone without it making a change in your behavior and subsequently your life is nothing more than intellectual acknowledgment. That is insufficient to gain entrance into God’s heaven.
The Hebrew word ‘emunah’ means much more than simply believing. James 2:19(NLT)says, “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.” Even though the bible says all those who believe Jesus is God will be saved, the meaning of the Jewish word ‘emunah’ means an “innate (or natural) conviction, a perception of truth that transcends, rather than evades, reason.”1Could this be the work of the Holy Spirit during the normal salvation process?
Eternal life isn’t just living with our Heavenly Father forever. The English meaning for the Hebrew Chayyei Olamis “’lasting life’ or ‘a life of eternity’ which refers to living a life focused on matters of eternal importance.”1 So while avoiding the trap of ‘being so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good’, we press on seeking to live in a way that is god-like in that we attempt to emulate our Lord. When we are redeemed, we receive the gift of natural conviction that what we have been told re: Christ and God is absolutely true and worth abiding by. This is accomplished by allowing the Lord to be in the forefront of your thinking and the Holy Spirit guiding the ship. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller
Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; the American Heritage Dictionary;
Friday, May 24, 2019
Thursday, May 23, 2019
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Freedom to Serve
“For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.”- Galatians 5:13-15 NLT
Paul’s letter to the Galatian church was written for the purpose of refuting the Judaizers, who taught that Gentile believers must strictly follow Jewish Law to be saved. Paul wished for them to know they were free in Christ, but that freedom wasn’t a freedom to sin; rather it was a freedom to serve. While it’s true our free will gives us the right to do whatever it is that we wish to do, only one thing will bring us forgiveness, peace and joy.
Seeing freedom as a license to sin isn’t freedom at all. This is because you are a slave to someone; whether it is Satan, others or your own sinful nature. Christians shouldn’t ever become slaves to sin. Their freedom is to do the right thing and glorify God thru service to others.
We must never lose our motivation to love others, for when we do we will begin to become critical instead. We will stop looking at the good in them and only see their flaws. We must never compare ourselves to others because we’re all flawed, weak and frail. We are unable to make a sound decision regarding anything, especially our own life, without the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Treat others the way God treated you. With unconditional love and acceptance. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!
Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
BE AN ENCOURAGER
“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." - Romans 15:5-6 NIV
Scripture likens the life of a Christian to running a race. During any race you need endurance. It’s through the Holy Spirit that we achieve this endurance. Our encouragement comes from various sources; God uses preachers, brothers and sisters in Christ, strangers, lyrics from songs, magazine articles and hopefully devotionals like this one. Everyone, no matter who they are, needs encouragement. Some more than others, but we all need to be lifted up.
We should definitely pray that God blesses us each day, so that we can pass that blessing on to someone else. If someone blesses you with an encouraging or uplifting word, take it into your own spirit then ask the Lord to have you cross paths with someone who needs a blessing that day. Always remember, it’s not about YOU. It’s about God and him living thru you.
We aren’t to be hoarders of God’s blessings. There is no joy in that. We need to listen for the still small voice of the Spirit as we go thru each day. He will guide us to that one person who is suffering or struggling in some way. God will use us to be a wonderful little piece of hope in their fragile world. Believers struggle just like the unsaved do; only we have the answer and know it. The answer is available to them too, but they are unaware of it. We can be the ones that shine the light of truth on them so they can stand up again and live. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!
Monday, May 20, 2019
Salvation Brings Hope
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”- Romans 15:13 NLT
Hope is God’s gift by his Spirit to all those who repent and receive Christ’s blood bought forgiveness. It isn’t something that can be conjured up by human effort. We receive joy and peace from the Lord because we place all of our trust in him. It is those who have not completely trusted him that still fret over the unsettling issues of this life. Many situations rattle our cage and make us uncomfortable with those things and people that surround us. We’ve allowed too many things to provide instability. It doesn’t need to be that way. We’ve taken our focus off the hope giver and onto inconsequential things.
If we are ever going to be all God knows we can be for him we must elevate our faith and trust in him. The Lord needs to be the most important part of each day. The world has nothing to offer us, nothing at all. Everything is temporal as evidenced by the way things are made nowadays. In spite of everything this world throws at the dedicated believer, we have the power inus to overcome any and all obstacles. It comes in the form of God’s Holy Spirit.
Because we already have the hope it’s not something we have to look forward to; therefore, all we must do is patiently and confidently wait for God’s promises to manifest themselves in our lives. Since we accept who God is and what he has, is and will do for his dedicated children, we have nothing to fear, for our time is coming and the day is approaching where we will be promoted to glory. It is then we shall see him as he is and look upon the precious face of Jesus. Don’t become impatient and rush ahead of God, just know that he is coming and once he does the struggle will be over. Until next time, walk with the King and be blessed!
Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; The Reformation Study Bible.
A Falling Away
“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”- Hebrews 6:4-6 NLT
There has been much discussion as to the author of Hebrews, but there is no mistaking who the letter is being written to. It was for Hebrew Christians who appeared to have been considering returning to Judaism, perhaps due to a misunderstanding of biblical truths. These couple verses address those believers who deliberately turn from the truth, even though salvation can only be found in Christ. They are treating Christ’s crucifixion as if it were not enough to cleanse them of their sins. In effect they are crucifying Christ all over again.
The Bible speaks of an apostasy,a falling away. According to scripture there will be a falling away of the faith by certain individuals. This could take place for a variety of reasons. One could be social pressure from outside the church. Another could be the church weakening their stance on certain issues that are listed as sinful in scripture. According to an article on the website Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry(aka, CARM), the church itself is pulling away from certain unalterable biblical truths.
The Bible stands as a bastion of truth and hope for all ages. God doesn’t change his mind and he makes no mistakes. Man has decided to alter biblical truth to please society and not look intolerant of those things that fly in the face of said truth. Many hot button issues like homosexuals integrating with today’s church and even taking leadership roles is in direct conflict with what scripture says, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God,"(1 Cor. 6:9-10). Man doesn’t have the right to alter the laws of God, when they do they become heretics. It becomes a simple matter of man trying to make things more palatable to an unbelieving world. We must stand firm in our beliefs and never soften our stance regarding issues that are clearly sinful in the eyes of our God. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller
Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; NIV Culteral Backgrounds Study Bible; https://carm.org/examples-apostasy-christian-church
Friday, May 17, 2019
Thursday, May 16, 2019
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Understanding God
“Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.”-
Ecclesiastes 11:5 NLT
Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes for one sole purpose; to spare future generations the pain of learning thru their own experiences that life has absolutely no meaning apart from God. Solomon shows his readers that life involves both risk and opportunity. Although life offers no guarantees that certainly doesn’t mean we should sit down and do nothing.
The verse 5 shines a light on man’s lack of understanding regarding the things of God. We cannot see God, but we are being asked to believe in his existence and trust him. We cannot see the wind or follow its path, but we can see the effects of the wind. It is no different with God. We cannot see him but we can see the effects of his existence. It all requires faith rather than facts.
Another verse in Ecclesiastes tells us the same story: Ecclesiastes 8:17 “I realized that no one can discover everything God is doing under the sun. Not even the wisest people discover everything, no matter what they claim.”We simply cannot fathom the depths of his workings. His will for each one of us isn’t a secret, but because we make it so difficult to find we sometimes miss it. We must trust God to reveal himself to us when it is necessary and not at our bidding. God does all things when and how he so chooses. We don’t need to understand, that’s not faith. We need to believe as if it had already taken place and then trust him to bring about the physical manifestation of it. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
One Final Look at the Epistle of Jude
“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. 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.”- Jude 24-25
Here are the final two verses of Jude’s letter. They come in the form of praise as Jewish correspondences often do. It should be noted that the letter ended the same way it began, with exhortation. Another thing I’d like to point out is that though Jude spent the bulk of his letter warning his readers about falling away from the faith, in the end he praises God for his ability to keep them steadfast and secure in their faith. It doesn’t happen like magic, they must proactively seek God’s face daily and strive to live according to the standards he’s established throughout scripture. We must do the exact same thing today.
Being vulnerable to various heresies and temptations, Jude’s audience was not only cautioned to know God’s word, but to live it out for others to see. Practicing what you believe helps us all retain those things which are most important and act as a shield of defense against those who would trip us up. Apostasy was and still is a real problem in the church today, so Jude’s opening line should be comforting. Unless you are determined to go your own way after having received Christ, God will not stop you. But if conversely you are determined follow the Lord regardless of what might befall you, then you shall be kept safe from deserting your faith.
The final two statements of Jude’s letter take the time to glorify God. It is said that we should spend far more time praising then praying. Praying is vital in the life of a believer, but even more important is lifting up the name of the one who makes all things possible. To jump right into praying for things, no matter how sincere and heartfelt the requests may be, is slightly presumptuous. No request is out of line, but taking the time to praise the one who created the stars and put them in their place only seems appropriate. It’s not that God won’t answer our prayers without praising him, it’s just the way we can show him the proper respect. That is what ‘fearing the Lord’is. Looking upon him with reverence, awe and respect. Jude has done well to end his letter this way. Jewish believers spend much time praising God. It would be to our benefit to follow their example. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller
Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible and www.biblegateway.com.
Monday, May 13, 2019
A Look at the Epistle of Jude
“And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. 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.”- Jude 22-23
As we near the end of Jude’s letter we see hope as the writer speaks of mercy and rescue. It is the polar opposite to the attitude of the heretics among them. They care little whether people live or die, only that they follow the path they have carved out for themselves. The mercy and rescue Jude speaks of is for those who are struggling in their faith. There are many events that take place in our lives that can have devastating effects on one’s psyche and even their faith. Their wavering is due to circumstances they cannot control and they feel lost and alone. It was Jude’s reader’s responsibility (and ours today as well), to console and comfort them. We are never to take advantage of their vulnerable state like the false teachers did and do.
We must be prepared to rescue those who have been negatively influenced by false teachings using great caution for these purveyors of heresy have very beguiling skills to manipulate minds. Sin contaminates our life. The sin presented by the false teachers was that as believers in Christ they were going to heaven so now they could live as they pleased. Jude had instructed his readers to rescue the deceived believers, being wary of the pull these disciples of Satan have. As with all ungodliness, we must hate the sin, yet love the sinner.
Once again we see clearly the need to become more familiar with God’s Word. It is so easy to become complacent, believing we are safe when danger is ever present. We aresafe in the Lord, but many trials and temptations confront us at various unscheduled times during our walk with God. It’s one thing to know God is in full control of all things, it’s quite another to let your confidence become apathetic complacency thinking nothing bad will ever happen to you. That is how one’s faith stagnates. We don’t need to defeat Satan he is already defeated. Just continue to trust the Lord and display the attributes of
Christ wherever you go. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!
A Look at the Epistle of Jude
“But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.”- Jude 20-21
Jude’s wording in verse 20 shows the contradictory way believers are to act among the brethren as opposed to the false teachers in their midst. As representatives of Christ we are to support and encourage one another. We are to edify (build up) each other spiritually thru faith and the power of Holy Spirit driven prayer. God’s mercy and grace are readily available to those who are his legitimate children. We prove our legitimacy thru our trust and reliance on the Lord and him alone, recognizing we cannot succeed in life from an eternal perspective on our own.
Jude’s denunciation of false teachers takes up the bulk of this short letter; however, he now presents positive, inspirational words to his readers. They are told to build each other up thru Holy Spirit led prayer, plus encouraging, God-inspired talk. In the light of the false teaching that attempts to alter the path one is taking, we must all remember that it is God who gives us the desire and the power to do what pleases him.[1]Therefore, if we stay close to the Lord and make him the main focus of our lives each day we will not be in danger of falling away from our faith.
There are those who wish to cheapen God’s works by offering alternatives. I heard just the other day of a belief system that involves our use of Universal Power or energy force that is all around us to bring healing to bodies. To me, anything that takes the focus off God and onto ourselves, then places it on a thing we can do to bring about miraculous events is dangerous. This is because there’s nothing we can do of this magnitude for ourselves without God. And God’s name isn’t being invoked in this case. I dismiss such things as contradictory to scripture. Be on guard. Satan can influence minds and enable people to do good, positive things outside of God’s influence to put on display his mantra that either there is no God or we do not need him. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!
Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; John MacArthur Study Bible and www.biblegateway.com
[1]Philippians 2:12-13 NLT – "Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him."
Saturday, May 11, 2019
A Look at the Epistle of Jude
“But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ predicted. They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.” – Jude 17-19
It is interesting to note that this is not the first time false teachers have entered the spiritual arena, nor is it the first time the believers of that day had been warned of their coming. In fact believers down thru the ages have repeatedly been warned of those who would attempt to lead the faithful away from the one true God. There could be someone in your church right now who exhibits a spirit of divisiveness, seeking to create factions in the church. It happens all the time and if not wary of its possibility will result in their congregation fracturing and becoming ineffective.
These liars seek only to tear apart. They claim to have inspiration from the Lord, but in reality lack the Spirit of true inspiration. I repeat; it should not take anyone by surprise when this takes place. Warnings have been abundant. One way to identify those who pretend to be one of us is their selfish lusts or desires. They have a hunger for those things, especially those things that rest on the border of right and wrong. As believers in Christ we are to steer clear of questionable circumstances. The notion that what is being suggested hurts no one else is insufficient reason to engage in a certain activity. We are ambassadors of Christ, not rogue agents who use compromised tactics to advance the kingdom. God doesn’t need that sort of assistance.
Herein lies yet another reason to stay immersed in God’s Word. In addition to all the other things scripture provides, it is designed to warn and protect us. It is readily available to be studied, yet remains on the coffee table or bookshelf collecting dust. God can never be blamed for not providing help to his church. It’s just like the statement that ends in a question: If God seems far away, who moved?Lock in to the Lord and breathe in the peace of knowing that no matter what happens God is in complete and utter control and nothing will ever happen to you that is not within his grand design for you in a very personal sense. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!
Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; John MacArthur’s Study Bible; NIV Study Bible Notes; www.biblegateway.com.
Thursday, May 9, 2019
A Look at the Epistle of Jude
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: ‘See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.’ These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.”– Jude 14-16
There is a day coming and it will not delay that the Lord will return in all his glory to judge all of creation. All those who have disrespected the Lord and lived a life devoid of any godly influence will be destroyed. This is why the Lord tells his disciples that vengeance is for him to dole out, not us.(1)We are to be examples of all God stands for so the world may know He loves all of his creation. However, regarding those who disobey him, God will act swiftly, destroying all who had opposed him in their life.
The account from Enoch is vivid in its detail and precise in its accuracy. Whatever the Lord says will happen will without question take place at the exact time preset by God. All people ever want to hear, some believers included, is the loving side of God. But there is a ferocious side to him that strikes fear in the hearts of all who have stirred up his wrath.
Those not afraid are ignorant of what awaits them as they continue to live by their own set of standards.
As believers we must continue to pursue God’s will for our lives, for it is not difficult to discern. Ask God for the ability to see things as he sees them and ask for a heart that bleeds for what God bleeds. Stay clear of those who straddle the fence of faith, keeping one foot somewhat in tune with the Lord while the other is dabbling in questionable behavior. Follow not those who seek to compromise their own walk and stay focused on the path in front of you. Stay close to the Lord and become more familiar with his word. He loves you and wishes no harm to come to you. He is the shepherd of your soul who will guard your heart and mind if you allow his Spirit to flow thru you. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!
Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; www.biblegateway.com.
(1)Romans 12:19; Deuteronomy 32:35.
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
A Look at the Epistle of Jude
“When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots. They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness.”- Jude 12-13
The false teachers Jude was exposing to his readers were represented in several highly descriptive terms: “dangerous reefs”; “shameless shepherds”; clouds filled with no rain; doubly dead trees; wild, churning sea waves and “wandering stars”. As a matter of fact there’s a good chance these charlatans may not have even been Christians.
Let’s look at the aforementioned terms: reefsare a strip or ridge of rocks just below the surface of the water. This was a reason lighthouses were first built. Slamming into a reef would completely destroy your ship. Shepherdstended their flocks, taking them to luscious green fields to graze and protected them from their natural enemies, wolves. Those without shame care nothing for their sheep. They pay little to no attention to them and do not go after them should they wander off.Rainis vital in the growth process of vegetation. Without it plants would shrivel up and die. And so on … the picture Jude has painted is a bleak one. False teachers are on a pathway to their own demise. Be very careful not to join them for once you turn your back of the Lord and continue down the wrong path, duped into believing a lie, there is no way back. If you doubt that remember The Jonestown Massacre, in Guyana at the hands of Spiritual (Cultic) leader Jim Jones back in 1978. Once you were in there was no way out.
Matthew shows Jesus words regarding how careful his disciples were to be when he states emphatically in Matthew 10:16, “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.” Here Jesus is sending them outinto an ungodly world. After Jesus ascended to the right seat of the Father the wolves came to those inthe church. You didn’t have to go looking for them; they were among you. Therefore, all believers must use the discernment provided by the Holy Spirit within to steer clear of the wolves. rlkeller
Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; The American Heritage Dictionary; Study Notes for Matthew 10:16 NLT from the Life Application Study Bible; p.2026.
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
A Look at the Epistle of Jude
“In the same way, these people—who claim authority from their dreams—live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings. But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, did not dare accuse the devil of blasphemy, but simply said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (This took place when Michael was arguing with the devil about Moses’ body.) But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction. What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion.”– Jude 8-11
Anytime someone claims to have heard directly from God it makes it difficult for listeners to refute such a claim. These false teachers of Jude’s day claimed to receive authority thru dreams. If a believer doesn’t know scripture they can easily be sucked into this vortex of ungodliness. Jude writes in verses 8-11 about those who propagate such heretical lies by saying that they “live immoral lives”, “defying and scoffing at things they do not understand”. The words “defy” & “scoff” not only apply to these false teachers, but could easily apply to any number of people today who would rather live in abject ignorance than consider embracing what millions consider to be the only truth worth embracing.
The scathing rebuke of these ungodly folks appears to apply to all those who do not choose to acknowledge God in any way in the past, present and in the future. Their destruction is assured because they chose their own path, avoiding the path God would have for them. They cast aside anything that would challenge what they have convinced themselves into believing. Having done so they confidently spread it like manure among jewels. Satan will take literal garbage and wrap it in pretty paper, topped off with a bow to entice the godly to stray from what they know in their hearts is true. They needed to guard their hearts in Jude’s day and we must guard against godless teaching today as well.
These false teachers are just another example of what Solomon shares in Proverbs when he says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”(Proverbs 14:12 NLT) Their arrogance keeps them from seeing their own folly. Receiving authority from their own dreams proves that arrogance, but it is only steeped in ignorance, for they entertain nothing but their own teachings. Death and destruction is coming for all who turn away from God and turn othersaway from God as well. Know what you know and live by it. Do not let ‘fly by night’ teachings knock you off your path. Draw ever closer to the Lord for he alone can keep you on a steady course to heaven. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller
Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; www.biblegateway.comand The American Heritage Dictionary.
Monday, May 6, 2019
A Look at the Epistle of Jude
“So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful. And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great Day of Judgment. And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment.”– Jude 5-7
Man is created too many pathways to heaven, even though scripture clearly states that there is only one way to enter into God’s heaven. It’s not difficult; man makes it difficult because he thinks of “religion” as restrictive and therefore boring and void of enjoyment. They are not interested in subjugating themselves to someone else. Sadly they have a very wrong view of Christianity. It’s not a list of DO’s & DON’Ts, but rather allowing God to live thru you.
The false teachers that had wormed their way among the Jewish believers were adversely influencing Jude’s readers. Jude uses this portion of his letter to remind his readers what happens to those to choose to disobey God by being unfaithful. Those who have been forgiven yet continue to go their own way shall not escape the wrath of the Lord on the last day. Too many folks refuse to believe that they would end up eternally separated from God and banished to an eternal lake of fire because of the decisions they’ve made throughout their lives. They clearly do not understand what the scriptures have to say.
The examples Jude gives are from the Old Testament, which the Jewish Christians were very familiar with. Know and follow the teachings of Christ and they would remain under the grace God provides. The same applies to us today. Don’t make the grace of God a cheap thing by trampling it underfoot. Always remember who God is to you and who you are to God. He died for you so that you might live forever. Discern that which isn’t of God and stay far from it. Live out what you know to be true. Don’t allow the wolves to take over. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller
Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.
Saturday, May 4, 2019
A Look at the Epistle of Jude
“Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” – Jude 3-4
The problem of wolves mingling with the sheep has been an age old problem. It happens today just as it did in Jude’s day. People can’t help tweaking the truth to make it more palatable for others. Is it really any different than when Satan asked Eve in the Garden of Eden, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” If you read chapter 3:1-7 you will get the whole picture, which included the big lie that took down man.
There are too many Christians who don’t know what they believe. They are easy prey to false teachers. It is why digging into God’s word is so very important. Know key doctrines so you don’t trip over a falsehood and end up following a wrong path. The clock is ticking and we only have so much time to get this thing right. We need to be careful not to waste valuable time dabbling in half truths and outright lies about our faith.
False teachers had infiltrated the early church and Jude was cautioning the believers by reminding them whose they were and what the true gospel message was. God’s grace towards his children in no way “allows us to live immoral lives”. Never. We must understand that condemnation has been foretold and destruction will come quickly to those who deceive God’s children. Know the truth and live in it daily. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller
Resources: The Life Application Study Bible.
Thursday, May 2, 2019
A Look at the Epistle of Jude
“This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ.May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.” – Jude 1-3 New Living Translation
Being a slave in the traditional sense is to be in “involuntary servitude”. Being a slave in a Christian setting is to be in VOLUNTARY servitude. Believers in Christ willingly follow God’s lead in all areas of their life, or at least that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Some translations use the word “bondservant”, which is defined as “a person obligated to serve without wages”. While we don’t get paid monetarily, there HAS been a payment made on our behalf.; that being the life of Christ in exchange for ours. His blood shed instead of ours. All the sins of man washed clean; forgiven forever and all time. Our servitude should be driven by a desire to please God. We are to let God live thru us as a way of thanking him for doing that which we could not do for ourselves.
Jude starts his letter off by pinpointing his audience … those who have been called by God. Bible experts tell us his audience were those Jewish individuals who had accepted Jesus Christ as the Messiah. He then shares a statement that tells the reader two of the benefits of loving and serving the Lord: 1) God loves us all. As a matter of fact scripture says he loved us before we even knew him. (“We love because he loved us first.”– 1 John 4:19) His love is unconditional. His love is intimate & deeply personal, so much so that he knows all about us and STILL loves us without any reservations. 2) God keeps us safe from our enemies. Whatever happens in this life is either caused or allowed by Almighty God for his own purposes. If it were not so then God would then not be in control of all things and therefore cease to be who he says he is.
Jude then offers his readers a prayer-like statement: “May God give you … “. It is important for us to understand that material possessions come second to that which money cannot buy, that being “mercy, peace & love”. These are characteristics of each member of the Trinity and need to be practiced by us as well. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing. rlkeller
Resources: The American Heritage Dictionary & The Life Application Study Bible.
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
A Look at the Epistle of Jude
Epistle – a letter, sometimes formal in nature.
Jude was the brother of Jesus and James. The one letter he wrote is brief and written to Jewish believers in Christ. Today we refer to these brethren as Messianic Jews. This was a term that originated during the 1960’s & 70’s and referred to those Jews who combined belief in Jesus Christ as the Messiah with elements of Judaism and Jewish tradition. Jude’s letter was written specifically to deal with the heretical false teaching that was slowly filtering into the churches. These teachings were leading some believers to turn away from the truth of the Gospel message. This is referred in scripture as the apostasy, or a falling away.
Over the next several days I will take you thru the 25 verses that make up this letter. It’s important for us to keep strong in our faith and trust in God and oppose all heretic teaching. Apostasy is serious business. Turning away from Christ is a path of no return. It is considered a rebellious act and we know from Lucifer’s rebellion against God that rebellions never go unpunished. It is critical that we not drift away from a faithful commitment to Christ.
We must understand that even the staunchest non-believer simply doesn’t know any better. He no doubt has major misconceptions about what Christianity is all about. Jesus understood this when we uttered the words, “Forgive them Father, for they do not know what they are doing.” They are ignorant of the truth and possibly think of Christianity as a rigid list of do’s & don’t that must be followed. That is not true; being a believer in Christ in its simplest terms, is nothing more than allowing the Lord to live thru you. There is obviously a lot more involved that just that, but in a nutshell, that’s what it is. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller
Resource: American Heritage Dictionary; The Life Application Study Bible & www.biblegateway.com
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