It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

Jude

 It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”  Jude 12-13

I proceed with my study of Jude using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book.  Today, my study consists of a review of Jude 11-16, with a focus on an unassisted review of the third division per the commentary - vv14-15. Here in these verses, we continue to see how harshly God will deal with the false teachers described by Jude.  Jude writes how Enoch prophesied about the judgement of the wicked; while we don't know who specifically Enoch is referring to here, we do know that Enoch's judgement of the wicked is inclusive of those judged by Jude given Jude refers to those judged by Enoch as "also about these," implying there was a larger category of wicked to be condemned.  The sins of the wicked condemned by Jude (through reference to Enoch's prophecy) are described as deeds of ungodliness, committed by ungodly people in an ungodly way.  The word ungodly or ungodliness is used four times in two verses making it clear that God is not pleased with the false teachers described by Jude throughout his letter.  On the other hand, we can trust the prophecy of judgement by Enoch because Enoch "walked with God" (Genesis 5:24) and "pleased God" (Hebrews 11:5).   

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who gives me Your Word to guide me so that I can walk with You as I know I exist to bring You glory.  I am grateful for how You provide Your Word, my salvation and so many more blessings - of course I am undeserving.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 13

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21

I maintain a pause of my study of 1 Corinthians as I continue using DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion. The highlighted text today shares that Christ's death on the cross and His resurrection, "by the blood of the eternal covenant" not only secures believers' salvation, but also equips us by working in us.  John Piper provides not just Hebrews 13:20-21 but other text, including Jeremiah 31:33 to describe how this works: "Therefore, the blood of this covenant not only secures God’s equipping us to do his will, but also secures God working in us to make that equipping successful.  The will of God is not just written on stone or paper as a means of grace. It is worked in us. And the effect is: We feel and think and act in ways more pleasing to God."  Piper then provides Philippians 2:12-13 to describe the role believers have in using the "equipment He gives."  He concludes by stating: "If we are able to please God — if we do his good pleasure — it is because the blood-bought grace of God has moved from mere equipping to omnipotent transforming."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me.  Thank You Jesus for how You equip me - I am not deserving of such blessing, grace and compassion - my sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

Psalm 103

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Psalm 103:1

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at how David seeks to bless the Lord in Psalm 103.  John Piper highlights how David seeks for his soul to bless the Lord because for God to be truly glorified any act we do must be out of an overflow of love and reverence for God - which is of course a heart condition.  Piper continues that David knew this and Piper uses - by way of warning and contrast - Jesus's words from Matthew 15:8 where Jesus accuses the Pharisees of hypocrisy for their self-serving deeds of obedience to the law that did not reflect a genuine and true love of God - from the heart.  We should all go to God as much as we can to know Him, and in turn love Him with all of our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37).

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good...and worthy of all honor and glory forever and ever!  Thank You for all the blessings You pour out for me.  I am not deserving of such love and blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.

2 Corinthians 5

So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 2 Corinthians 5:9

I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today looks at how we please God.  John Piper's starting point for this question is an examination of the "character of God revealed in scripture."  Luke 16:14-15 is provided as an example of what does not please God as Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for their love of money, status and position - love of the world. At the end of the devotion, Piper provides Psalm 147:11 as the psalmist (likely David) writes the "Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love."  To help us better understand God's character - Piper gives us two contrasting analogies - one a watering trough and the other a mountain spring - as he shares "[i]f you want to glorify the worth of a watering trough, you work hard to keep it full and useful. But if you want to glorify the worth of a spring, you do it by getting down on your hands and knees and drinking to your heart’s satisfaction, until you have the refreshment and strength to go back down in the valley and tell the people what you’ve found." Piper extends the analogy of the mountain spring as he ends the devotion by sharing "God is the kind of God who will be pleased with the one thing I have to offer: my thirst. That’s why the sovereign freedom and self-sufficiency of God are so precious to me: they are the foundation of my hope that God is delighted not by the resourcefulness of bucket brigades, but by the bending down of broken sinners to drink at the fountain of grace."  The devotion ends with Piper exhorting us to seek to please God based on a right view of Him as revealed in scripture - seek Him daily!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion, and abounding in love...for those who seek Him.  Thank You Jesus for Your grace, compassion and love for me.  I am not deserving of such blessings and gifts.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

Hebrews 11

But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. Hebrews 11:16

I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today looks at how God is proud of believers.  John Piper writes this devotion with a genuine desire to please God with his life and to make Him proud.  He writes how this is possible based on reasons in Hebrews 11, specifically in 11:16 where it is explicit that - referring to those in the hall of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11 - God is not ashamed to be called their God. The first reason in the text is that God is proud because he has prepared for them a city.  Piper emphasizes here that God has done something for believers - He has prepared and saved a place for them in Heaven.  The second reason emphasized by Piper how God is proud is because of believers desire - that they desire a better country - Heaven.  We are urged by Piper to desire Heaven more so than anything else - more than anything the world could ever offer.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God and I am grateful this morning for my salvation - that You have prepared and saved a place in Heaven for me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of my salvation nor for the place You are saving for me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from and overcome my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.  

We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority.

1 Thessalonians 2

We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. v4-6

As Paul describes his ministry and the opposition he faced (v2) he goes on to remark about how it does not matter whether he faced opposition or not because he knows that God wants him to continue doing what he is doing and it does not matter how others feel about his ministry as long as it pleases God.  

Many of us seek earthly recognition, status, etc. and this is a powerful idol.  This begs the question of how do we know if what we are doing is pleasing to God.  Renewal of the mind is key.  This is a significant area of study - John Piper has many thoughts on this topic.  

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who has provided great clarity for me in many areas of my life and Your will - thank You Jesus.  I depend on You for direction and clarity and without it I would be utterly lost!  I am undeserving of Your wisdom and love.  I sin daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever.

1 Timothy 5

The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever.  v24-25

Paul encourages Timothy to remain pure and the words above talk to how Timothy should be mindful of humility...that no sin and no good deed goes unnoticed by God and that we cannot escape judgement.  The implied message is also one of humility...that our focus should not be on pleasing others but God...too often we chase earthly approval vs pleasing God.  

Related passages:
Luke 8:17
1 Corinthians 4:5
Daniel 2:21-22
Colossians 3:12
Philippians 2:3-4
Luke 18:14
Acts 20:24 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, creator of all things, above all things, before all time and after all time.  There is no God like You.  You are the one true God.  You know everything about me, and You chose me even before I was born, knowing everything about my sin and brokenness.  You have a plan for me and I know it is great.  Yet I too often lack trust and I worry in my heart, etc.  Thank You for dealing with me gently, with patience and compassion.  I am not worth Your love and blessing Jesus!  Please forgive me for my worry.  Help me overcome my sin and turn towards You instead.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of this cancer!  Praise God for how You have worked to reduce the tumor Jesus.  You are a great God - thank You!  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Galatians 1

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. v10

I know that I am wired to please people, whether that be my family, my boss, co-workers, etc. But first and foremost I am to please God vs people.  Of course, in most circumstances, pleasing God will please others as we show love and the glory of God through our actions.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You indeed are great beyond description.  You created the heavens and the earth and everything else that I experience..."every good and perfect gift" comes from You.  You suffered and died for me and You bless me beyond what I deserve with an incredible family, friends, etc.  Thank You Jesus!  I am however undeserving...I am disobedient and full of anger...please forgive me Jesus.  Help me turn from such sin and towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Help me love others as You do. Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Cure and heal her of this cancer.  Help me serve You, Lisa, Zach and Dustin. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.