Finding God in the Mystery of every day

031205 Finding God in the Mystery of every day

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Jude 1:3 Contend for the Faith

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.

In the original language the word we translate her as “contend” is the Greek epagognizomai. From this as quite clear we also derive our English word “agony”. How then does this impact the idea of contending for the faith?

Our earnestness must have more to do with our “agonizing” in prayer and action to express not only the doctrines of our faith, but to demonstrate clearly the substance of that faith the greatest part of which is our trust in our heavenly Father and the leading of the Holy Spirit to guide our actions and words. When earnest zeal is perverted by the lust for power and mastery whether over individuals or whole nations we depart from the will of God and pander to the schemes of the devil. Is there ever a time to meet violence and death with the same violence and death? That is a question I have yet to ever face, although I have been threatened and mildly assaulted before.

I would like to think that should death ever come knocking that I would have the courage to face it as the apostle Paul. “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21) Consequently there is no fear in death, for death is swallowed up in victory.