BLESSINGS (JUDE 1:20-25)

The reflection emphasizes the significance of blessings as God’s divine favor, guiding believers in their faith while awaiting Christ’s return. Citing Jude 1:20-25, it urges compassion for others, resilience in adversity, and the pursuit of a blameless life before God. Ultimately, reliance on God’s blessings fosters spiritual growth and endurance.

REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is “Blessings” Blessings means to invoke the impartation of God’s divine favour to oneself or others. Jude 1:20-25 is a summary of how believers should live while waiting for Christ’s return: by building themselves up in their faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, staying in God’s love, and being merciful to others. The passage instructs believers to have compassion for those who doubt, snatch those in spiritual danger from the “fire,” and to treat others with mercy, while still hating sin. It concludes with a doxology praising God who can keep them from falling and present them blameless. We shall reflect on the fact that we need the blessings of God to remain resilient, victorious and blameless in the midst of adversities.

Beloved in the Lord, the ultimate goal of every believer is to appear blameless before God on the judgment day. It is for this reason Jude blessed the recipients of his letter, “To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen” (Jude 1:24-25). False teachers and teachings cause weak believers to stumble, thereby becoming disobedient and blameworthy before God. It was, therefore, Jude’s honest desire that God keep the believers from stumbling in their faith. Dear friend, those of us who have been blessed should continue “… building ourselves up in our most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep ourselves in God’s love as we wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring us to eternal life. (Jude 1:20-21)

In summary, we have reflected on the fact that we need the blessings of God to remain resilient, victorious and blameless in the midst of adversities. Shalom.

PRAYER

May the Holy Spirit empower us to be faithful to our calling, and may the blessings of God never depart from us. Amen.