I help lead our Exchange Young Adult Ladies small group once a month with a few other ladies! I have learned that it is often the times that you teach that you can get the most out of your lesson! I experienced this when I taught our class a couple of weeks ago!
This lesson was about staying in God’s love and showing mercy! I don’t know about you, but I have never really thought about how I can stay in God’s love daily. Needless to say, this lesson was a big encouragement to me! In the book of Jude, we see two ways for us, as believers, to stay in God’s love!
"But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith,
praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."
Jude 1:20-21
Build yourselves up in your most holy faith.
We build ourselves up in our most holy faith by reading God’s Word, worshiping, being in godly fellowship, memorizing Scripture, generosity, etc. These are a few things that increase our faith in the Lord!
Pray in the Holy Spirit.
This is translated to pray with the help of the Holy Spirit. We pray with the help of the Holy Spirit by giving Him space to speak to us and by listening to Him.
If I am being honest, this is something I struggle with. I think it can be very natural for me to pray and ask God for selfish desires or needs, or to pray and ask Him to bless my food before a meal, etc. This was very convicting for me because the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and often I don’t give Him the time to intercede for me in my prayers.
Another topic Jude talks about in this passage is about showing mercy to others. Mercy is showing compassion or forgiveness and withholding punishment.
"And on some have compassion, making a distinction"
Jude 1:22
"Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."
Luke 6:36
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."
Matthew 5:7
If you have a hard time showing mercy, which I am sure we all do, it is probably because we are not staying in God's love daily. This was very convicting to me as I was studying.
As I was studying the book of Jude, I was astonished at the intentionality of how and why he wrote it the way that he did. Jude talks to believers about staying in God's love first before we are able to show mercy. We have to focus on ourselves internally before we are able to focus on showing mercy to others. If I am building myself up in my faith and I am praying in the Holy Spirit, then it is going to be easier for me to extend mercy to others because I am staying in God's love.
This has been a great challenge for me to learn over the past couple of weeks, and I hope that this is an encouragement and a great challenge for you as well!
Prayer Points:
· Father, thank You for Your mercy that You extend to us.
· God, help me to stay in Your love daily.
· Lord, I ask that You help me to be merciful to others.
· Lord, help me to be diligent in growing in this area.
Father,
Thank You for Your mercy You so graciously extend to us even though we are so undeserving of it! You are so kind, good, and loving, and I thank You for that! God, I ask that You help me to stay in Your love daily! Help me to have a love for You and Your Word! Lord, I ask that You help me to be merciful to others! I cannot do it apart from You! Father, I ask that You help me to be diligent in growing in this area! I love You, Lord, and I am thankful for Who You are!
In Jesus' Name, Amen.
With Love,
Brooke Hartley