Week 18 Day 1
Finding God in the Mysteries of every day
Jude 3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord [b]God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
The “organized Church” has from the beginning often gone astray when seeking to follow these demands. As with anything our willingness to stand in the face of opposition may usually be anticipated by observing our character. If we are naturally timid or self-conscious we most likely will not be very willing to be exposed to the kinds of things which frequently accompany debate or struggle. On the other hand, if we are normally combative and aggressive we will gleefully engage in any struggle which threatens our peace of mind.
The problem in both instances is not one of willingness it is one of focus. If we only approach the idea of “contending” for the faith in our own strength or out of our own gifts, we are missing the point. We must bring the love, truth , and promise of Christ to bear in any “confrontation”. We will never win long lasting victory by bullying, bludgeoning, comdemning or ostracizing people.
Paul could not escape his captors, the guards in the Mamertine prison in Rome. Rather he found in their constant presence a field of witness that challenges us yet today.
Philippians 1: 12 But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, 13 so that it has become evident to the whole [b]palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; 14 and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Lord; Please fill my heart with Your love and Word for every situation I find myself in..
Larry M Lawrence- Mysteries 