My Bible study ended our semester with a discussion of Jude's epistle to believers. Most of this letter is spent warning his readers about ungodly people and God's response to them. Not good for the ungodly, by the way.
16 These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts… 19 These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.*
This section hit home for me. I am a critical person by nature, which is good for discerning truth but not always good for people. How often do I fall into complacency, finding fault with people, seeking my own selfish desires? How often do these actions cause divisions? Divisions in community and in friendships. When I am worldly-minded and not being moved by the Spirit, this is where I am, and this is what I'm doing.
Instead of holding up my brothers and sisters with encouragement and prayer, I tear down with grumbling and selfishness. Instead of being filled with the Spirit, I am filled with arrogance and worldly cares.
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.*
Too often I get caught up in trying to live my life and do God's work without God. Instead of building myself up on faith, I build myself up on my accomplishments or on how much other people like me. Prayer takes a backseat to busyness and lethargy. I do not always endeavor to act in and out with God's love, and am cynical and unkind.
But here is the key:
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy;*
It is never anything I do that makes me right with God. It is never anything I do that accomplishes anything for the kingdom of God. The solution is not to live a better life, but to trust that God can sanctify me. To understand that He keeps me from stumbling, He is the reason that I stand before His glory blameless. He is the reason I have joy.
As a Christian, I must abide in the love of Christ. And this means placing my cares and my focus upon Him. Not worrying about money or whether people like me, etc., but falling to my knees and fellowshipping with my Creator and Savior. The more this happens, the closer I walk with God. If I am letting God have His way with me, then my complacency and selfishness are dispelled and people are built up instead of torn down. When His love fills me, it is sent out to the world through me. This is the only way I truly love my brother.
Please pray that I will spend more time in the presence of God, and that I will be always full of His love.
*All Biblical references taken from NASB
Yesterday I had the pleasure of accompanying the freshmen class to Prater. Prater, a large amusement park, is home to the oldest ferris wheel in the world, or so I'm told. You may have seen the ferris wheel in a few movies, including The Third Man.
So I write a post the other day about trying to have joy and trust God despite the fact that my financial situation seems to be stuck in a downward spiral.
Excerpted from an actual student conversation:
So a result of all the sickness these last few weeks at school are that a couple students and a teacher have scarlett fever. This old-timey disease reminded me of that old Oregon Trail game where you’d put your family in a wagon and try to make it to Oregon alive. A very noble goal. I would always be rolling along fine until, “Ralph has typhoid.” As far as I was concerned the cure to typhoid and all those other diseases was buffalo. And so I would go hunting, and little Ralphie would die, and then one by one my family died from diseases that buffalo apparently didn’t cure. Those were the good ol’ days.