But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

Jude

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. Jude 20-21

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 17-23, with a focus on a commentary-assisted review of the second division per the commentary - vv20-21. Here, Jude pivots from warnings about false teachers to how believers should respond.  This pivot is marked at the start of v20 with "But you" as Jude begins to contrast how the false teachers are recognized with ungodly behavior (see post yesterday and previous posts on Jude).  Instead, believers are to take the following actions

1. "build ourselves up" in faith: I am reminded of Paul's words from 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 where he likens himself to an athlete in training that focuses on strengthening himself and be disciplined in this training.  I am also reminded of a book on spiritual disciplines recently discussed in my church's Sunday school. 
   
2. "pray in the Holy Spirit": one of the spiritual disciplines is to pray, to meditate on God's Word, listen to Him speak to you, and to make requests for yourself and others in prayer.
   
3. "keep ourselves in the love of God": going to God daily, and throughout the day helps us stay focused on God with constant reminders of who God is and what He does for us.
   
4. "wait for Jesus to return of Jesus": God will call believers home or return and until this time, we must be steadfast in our faith, looking forward to Heaven. 
   

 Lord Jesus, please help with all of these actions!

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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.  I am not deserving....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 continue to 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.

For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.

Hebrews 3

For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. Hebrews 3:4

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is Hebrews 3:1-4, and how my commentary describes this text - with the heading "An Apostle and High Priest Better Than Moses" - as the first of two divisions in Hebrews 3:1-6.  Building on my observations from yesterday's post, where I describe how v1-6 contrasts Moses with Jesus, the commentary for v1-4 starts by pointing out the use of "Therefore" in v1 that connects this chapter to the previous chapter (chapter 2), and how this connector is an exhortation from the author of Hebrews to "consider Jesus": "[t]hus, because Jesus is the merciful and faithful high priest who has tasted death for everyone and is the source of our salvation, Jesus merits our full consideration." The exhortation to consider Jesus is more fully explored by first defining consider as "communicat[ing] the idea of meditation," and then by sharing how everyone has a worldview, and this worldview shapes our thoughts and actions.  Believers of course have a worldview also, but the commentary indicates that "[t]he author of Hebrews reminds us that the ultimate axiom for the intellectual thought life of the believer is Jesus Christ. He is not simply the author and finisher of our faith; he is the author and finisher of our thoughts as well. Considering Jesus should animate the intellectual patterns of all believers and recalibrate their biblical worldview." The commentary then wraps its examination of v1-4 by focusing on how and why the text compares Moses to Jesus: "[if Moses is worthy of glory as a servant, how much more worthy is Christ—the One who built the house?...Every house needs an architect. Christ functioned as the architect of God’s house—that is, God’s people. Thus, Christ is greater than Moses simply because he created Moses."  Worship the Creator, not man, nor creation!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God, who is the author of creation and in all things - holding all things together, including my life.  Thank You Jesus for how You provide, give life, and for how You save!  I am not deserving of my salvation, nor any of the blessings You provide.  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.