Sometimes when I sit down to write a blog posting, I'm not quite sure where it's going to end up. You already realise this, though, as you have seen by now the random twists and turns of my mind when free to write blog postings! Or maybe I start off aiming to write about one thing, but then something else comes up, or a turn of phrase leads me to think about something else.
I've been heartened to see that it doesn't only happen to me. Check out verse 3 of Jude's Epistle:
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
Jude intended to write about one thing, but when he sat there with the pen and paper, he had the sense that he was instead to write about something else. And so, we end up with the epistle of Jude - inspired by the Spirit who prompted Jude to write what he did.
In some senses, the epistle is quite fearful - dwelling as much as he does on judgement and on God's wrath against those who disobey. Yet these warnings are to encourage his readers (both those first readers and also us today) to contend for the faith, to stand firm, to be built up and strengthened.
And what a great doxology of praise at the end of his epistle! Throughout the short letter he has encouraged them to keep on the right path and keep on keeping on for God. And there in verse 24, he identifies our God as:
'Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and for ever. Amen'
No comments:
Post a Comment