The convention in the circles I move in is that the word “amen” is the concluding statement of a prayer. Most people give that word little thought—or if they do, it may seem no more than a comfortable ritual or trite tradition than anything significant. Upon reflection, it seems that when we say amen at […]
In one of the blogs I read, someone posted a comment. The message only somewhat tied in with the topic and the backlink was to an unrelated website. I dislike the idea of giving the author’s rant any more exposure by repeating it, but once I set aside the invective nature of the post, I […]
When I pray, it’s not just about making requests. It is also about giving God my words—and my heart. Sometimes this means that I tell God I love him. Yes, it is true; I do love God. Although simply saying, “I love you” is a great place to start, God deserves more than that. I […]
Cain and his younger brother Abel both gave offerings to God. This was well before the life of Moses and the laws that God gave to him, therefore, there was no requirement to give an offering. In fact, there was not even a precedent for doing so. Cain and Abel’s offerings were the first ones recorded […]
In Jude’s brief exposition of ungodly people in the church, he evokes three Old Testament characters: Cain, Balaam, and Korah. Cain, we know to be a murderer; Balaam, greedy; and Korah, rebellious. However, it is simplistic to see them merely as evil men, for they also had an air of godliness to them, seeking God or […]
In an earlier post, I talked about fasting. I admitted that despite the spiritual benefits—while tangible and profound—fasting is a mystery to me. I also shared that the most difficult part of my fast was ending it well. From a physical sense, when that initial morsel of food touches my tongue, I am often filled […]
Jude writes his short letter to those who are called—that’s you and me. In it, he often writes in triads, listing three items or offering three examples. He does this with such regularity that when he deviates from this in verse 12, I thought I had misread the text. Consider Jude’s triplets (and a couple […]
As covered a few weeks ago, the book of Jude contains three cryptic references to ancient non-biblical texts. In addition, Jude also includes references to biblical accounts. The first is in verse 6, where Jude mentions angels who abandoned their role and their home. This is likely a nod to Genesis 6:1-4, which talks about […]
In the post, “Who is Jude?,” I speculated that Jude might be Jesus’ brother. Aside from that, we only know one other thing about him. Jude views himself simply as “a servant of Jesus.” Today, in a time when religious people parade their titles and promote their education as if they were badges of godly […]
I’m doing a series of posts about the short and often overlooked book of Jude. Jude’s letter is a warning, almost a rant, about ungodly people who are in the church. Among their sordid characteristics, Jude says that they “speak abusively against whatever they do not understand.” That seems to be an accurate description of […]