Jude 1:3-4 - "A Good Soldier of Jesus Christ"

Today, Friday October 29 “A Good Soldier of Jesus Christ” Jude 1:3-4 “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. 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 God and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Thank God we still have a standard in this day of confusion, chaos and insecurity almost about everything!  We have the Word of God, God’s Truth, to give us direction, encouragement and understanding of the times in which we live! We need to first realize that we have an enemy and we are at war! We live in a day when anything goes and good has become evil and evil has become good. We need to be able to identify the lies of the enemy. Jude, no doubt was very familiar with the prophesies of Isaiah and probably was thinking of this following passage from Isaiah as he wrote about the lies of the false teachers. It is so descriptive of what is happening in America today I feel compelled to include it in this blog by simply copying it from the New Living Translation. You will notice that it goes exactly with Jude’s message of judgment on the false teachers! Isaiah 5:15-24 (NLT) Humanity will be destroyed, and people brought down; even the arrogant will lower their eyes in humiliation. But the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will be exalted by his justice. The holiness of God will be displayed by his righteousness. In that day lambs will find good pastures, and fattened sheep and young goats will feed among the ruins. What sorrow for those who drag their sins behind them with ropes made of lies, who drag wickedness behind them like a cart! They even mock God and say, “Hurry up and do something! We want to see what you can do. Let the Holy One of Israel carry out his plan, for we want to know what it is.” What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes and think themselves so clever. What sorrow for those who are heroes at drinking wine and boast about all the alcohol they can hold. They take bribes to let the wicked go free, and they punish the innocent. Therefore, just as fire licks up stubble and dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will rot and their flowers wither. For they have rejected the law of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies; they have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. Today, we also need to be reminded of what Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:1-3: “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” May the Lord help us to be “good soldiers” of Jesus Christ and be courageous to identify with Him as we share His Truth and Light in these dark days! And remember, we are on the winning side because we have the LORD of Heaven’s Armies on our side! God bless!