Built Up In Faith For Life

"Today's Devotion" For May 23, 2005

Read: Jude 17-23; Colossians 2:1-19

BUILT UP IN FAITH FOR LIFE

"But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life." (Jude 20-21)

Have you ever thought about how marvelous a creation the body is? One of the marvels of the human body, for instance, is its ability to fight disease. God gives the body the ability to manufacture antibodies to invading bacteria so that the body can stave off infection. The body builds up these antibodies, not only to fight a current assault on the body, but to also develop future immunity to diseases related to the bacteria in question. Medical science is a tool which assists the body to build up immunities through the development of vaccines, antibiotics, surgical procedures, and various other types of therapies and treatments. In addition, medical research has shown us that the proper diet and exercise can greatly increase the body's ability to fight off disease and illness, remain strong, and live longer.

But illness and disease don't just occur on a physical level. Spiritually, we are also subjected to the onslaughts of "disease." Jude alerts us that there are spiritual maladies and diseases that seek to destroy the Body of Christ. He notes, as St. Paul has frequently done before him (cf. Col.. 2), that there are spiritual forces seeking to bring ill health to our relationship with God, not only to each one of us personally, but also to the Body of Christ itself. We are alerted to the reality that within the Body of Christ there are those who would seek to infect the Body with false teaching, distortions of God's Word, and alternative ideas about salvation and truth. Among the people of God are those who serve the devil and evil. They sow dissension among the members of the Body of Christ, in much the same way as bacteria and other things foreign to the human body seek to disrupt how our bodies function. While facing such attacks to its spiritual health and well-being from within, from the outside the Body of Christ also faces the onslaughts of a fallen world, which seeks to place the ideas and philosophies of the human mind above the Will of God and the truth of His Word.

In the face of such challenges to the spiritual health of the Body of Christ, and to the spiritual health of each member of the Body of Christ, Jude encourages us to be prepared to meet those challenges. Engaging in a proper spiritual diet of Bible Study (both corporate and personal) and gathering together with others in the Body of Christ provides each of us individually, and the Body of Christ collectively, the necessary nourishment for prolonged spiritual health and the ability to overcome the temptations Sin places before us. Through the daily exercise of our faith in godly living, prayer, acts of love and kindness, and witnessing to others of God's love for the world in Jesus Christ, the Body of Christ grows stronger and each of us, individually, also grows stronger in our relationship with God and each other. Nourished on a spiritual diet of God's Word, we are built up in faith and enabled to persevere and overcome every temptation that would lead us away from Jesus. It's all part of a healthy, spiritual life nourished and fed by God's promises to us in Christ Jesus to lead us to eternal life.

Prayer: Father, help me to be in Your Word daily and lead me to greater faith and trust in You. Keep me from being led astray by those ideas and philosophies of the world that would claim Your Word to be false and meaningless for life and living. Equip me by the power of Your Word and Spirit to overcome the temptations to live contrary to Your Will. Give to the Body of Christ the strength of faith and purpose that is centered and focused in You love, grace, mercy and forgiveness, so that I and all Your people might remain faithful to You and effectively and fearlessly share Your Good News in Christ Jesus with everyone. In the precious and most holy name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.