Ready:
“Have mercy on those who waver; save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.” —यहूदा 1:22-23
Set:
One Wednesday afternoon I spent time with my local softball team and then went directly to church. It was a 90+ degree afternoon, but the girls made it fun and kept their attitudes positive even as they were playing in heat. When it was time to head to church, I said my goodbyes and left. The church had cold AC running and it was such sweet relief.
Once I cooled down, I realized I smelled terrible. While I was with the team, I couldn’t smell myself because we all stunk. We were all soaked with sweat and dirt from the dugout and fields. I couldn’t smell it while I was with them, but once I got alone, I recognized how terrible we actually smelled.
That mirrors the deception of the enemy in our lives. We don’t always see the consequences of sin or the hard things that come from sin when we are hanging around in the sin. Just like time around a fire. While you are there, it is fun but once you get home you realize how much the smoke made you smell. Sin can be similar in our lives. It’s a great time when we are with our friends and everyone is doing it, but once we get home and we are alone with the consequences of our sin, the fun is no more.
There’s a reason why Jude says to save others by snatching them from the fire (an analogy for sin); it is easy to get sucked in if you’re not careful. He tells us to have mercy on others but with fear, hating the garment defiled by the flesh. If we aren’t careful, we will get around the fire (sin) and end up staying too long, start smelling like the world, and even stumble into the fire ourselves.
Hope comes in verse 23: “Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory without blemish and with great joy.”
Go:
Are you snatching others from the fire or are you spending too much time around the fire with them?
How can you obey God this week in the lives of those you love who are hanging around the fire?
Workout:
Overtime:
“Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus to seek and save the lost. Thank You for snatching me from the fire. I pray You will open my eyes to see those in my life that have been around the fire for too long and need to be snatched from it. Please give me strength and purpose as I near the fire to get my friends. Please protect me from stumbling.”