"Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him." James 1:12 (NKJV).

This verse is full of thought and thoughts. Let’s, for example, think on the word "Blessed". The Bible is full of "Blessed". It is a word which means happy. Much of the time when we hear the word "Happy" or the condition of "Happiness" we see a lot of laughter, and sometimes things going on which should not be going on. Many today think happiness is obtained by things, ie., material things; and some think that happiness can only be achieved by doing drugs or drinking and parties of all kinds of lewd behavior.

As far as the culture of our day is concerned happiness is fleeting. You have it, then, it is gone. It may last for a minute, an hour, a day, even a week, but then it is gone; and in some people’s minds never to be seen again.

Jesus spoke of these "Blessed" in Matthew’s gospel, and He began with, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God." Matthew 5:3. This type of happiness comes only from God. The "poor in spirit" are those who know they have nothing before God, and go to Him on His terms, in His time and way. Jesus gives us a total of nine "blessed" or beatitudes. The "blessed" Jesus tells us of is not a fleeting happiness, but is attained only through faith in Him. It is much more than laughter, parties, and losing one’s mind to never think on matters of life. It is truly having meaning in life with Christ for all of eternity.

There is another "Blessed" which I must mention. "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful…" Psalm 1:1 (NKJV). The "Blessed" of the Bible are not fleeting. They do not pass away, but are the happiness which is only found by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

The "Blessed" of today’s text is "Blessed is the man who endures temptation". These "temptations" are trials which, as Christians, we will suffer, and by faith endure. Trials will include sickness, disease, financial hardship, loss of a job, loss of a family member, divorce, infidelity by a spouse, and it may include persecution for your faith. The "blessed" Christian individual will hang on to their faith no matther what trial or circumstance of life comes along. These trials come to us all. How we handle them; how we come through them can be blessing.

By enduring through them; coming through them with praise and thanksgiving in our heart to our faithful Creator and Savior and Lord is not only a "Blessed" moment in time, but also a "Blessed" happy time in eternity.

"For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits." James 1:11 (NKJV).

Our writer, inspired by the Spirit of God has already dealt with the blessing of the poor, or "Lowly brother…" The poor has no one to turn to but to the Lord for their needs. Their daily physical need is met by the Lord and they shall lack nothing. That does not mean they will always have the best, but they will be in their best walk with the Lord.

Like the poor man, the rich will also perish. It does not matter how much wealth the rich man has he cannot buy his health. He might have a better healthcare plan, but the truth still remains, the rich like the poor is going to perish, and no amount of wealth will keep him/her from their appointment with death.

There are those who are poor and have great wealth. They are poor in peace, poor in relationship with God; poor in family relationships; poor in many different relationships; they are indeed the poorest of the poor. They have much of this world but nothing in the next with eternal God.

There are many who are poor in material things and poor in eternal things as well. These are the one’s who will try to get material gain at the expense of others, by taking what does not belong to them; by thievery, robbery, mugging, and killing. They are of their father the devil.

There is a good illustration of this point made just seven miles from my front door last Wednesday evening (03/12/08). In a small Lake Town of Southwest Missouri someone broke into a bank around midnight, broke into safe deposit boxes, took out contents, and no one even knew it was going on, or that it had happened until opening time on Thursday morning. These thieves seemed to know exactly what to do. According to the news reports they had turned the outside cameras around backwards, and spraypainted the inside ones, and somehow had broken in the rear door, and disarmed the alarm before it had time to be set off. How someone can be so smart to disarm and accomplish this crime to take someone elses hard earned cash and valuable papers is not pleasing and honorable to our Lord. They are already caught. They have been caught "redhanded" with their hands in the pot. It may not have been the law enforcement officials, but the Lord of the universe saw them do it, and they will not get away for long. They will one day meet their Judge.

These are those who are too full of themselves to know God. They are poor in material things; and they are poor in eternal things; and their time of judgment will come.

"Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away." James 1:9-10 (NKJV).

With the past few verses James has been discussing trials of life, and especially the trials of the followers of Jesus Christ; and in particular the earlier followers of Christ who were Jewish. Though the letter is written to Jewish Christians for the time; it is for Christians of all times and all races.

James speaks to different classes of Christians in these two verses. The first is the economically poor. The poor can rejoice in the Lord, and praise Him, because they know that God is the provider of all their needs. They do not trust in uncertain riches. They do not trust in their own strength or power. Their complete trust and faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Trials affect all Christians.

Having warned the Christians of the "double-minded man" previously; the poor man can also rejoice in the Lord, because it is the Lord who has delivered them from this curse. If a poor man is not cautious in their faith he or she can still be double-minded and torn between having and not having; unless their faith is solid in Christ. This curse is not just that of the rich man.

Probably one of the hardest tests of a Christian’s faith would come when they have much more than they need. That has not been one of my tests however. It would be of a wealthy Christian’s humility to realize this blessing or curse of wealth is from God, and that He has given it to us to be a blessing to our brothers and sisters in Christ who are less fortunate. The wealthy Christian will truly realize that God has not given them wealth to horde, and to "build bigger barns", but to be generous, and give as the Spirit of the Lord will direct.

The wealthy Christian humbles themselves before God by being thankful for their blessing, giving generously as He leads, and builds other brothers and sisters in Christ up for His glory.

"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." James 1:6-8 (NKJV).

Faith is a necessity for the Christian to walk with God. We cannot walk without faith. The opposite of faith is fear or unbelief. The doubting to which the New King James refers is an unbelief which would keep us from acting in faith. The Christian who douts in such a case is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. You never know which way its is going to fall.

The matter before us is the matter of asking for wisdom. Since wisdom comes from God, and since He has asked us to ask Him for wisdom, then we can believe that He desires to give us wisdom; and that would be godly wisdom. The individual who ask for wisdom then, decides, "Well, He must not want to give it to me" is in a bad way, and shall not receive anything from God.

This individual who is doubting and not believing, and of whom it is said, "Let not that man suppose he will receive anything fromt he Lord…" does this mean, that not only does he not receive wisdom, but also there is nothing God will give him? If one cannot believe God concerning wisdom, then, this would surely apply to other things as well. This would include salvation. Can a person be saved by doubting that Jesus can save? The answer to that must be, NO!

When one trust the Lord it is a trust for all of life. Trusting the Lord means truling believing Him and Him alone; there can be no other god, nor trust which we lean on. Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 6:24 (NKJV). That is actually being "double-minded", and there is no pleasure for God when we are double-minded having divided loyalties. In most stories of intrigue and mystery, and spying a double agent will not live very long, and/or must constantly be watching over their backs. The same is true with faith. When you trust and serve the one true God, believe Him, you never have to wonder to whom you will turn in any certain time or trial. It will always be to the Lord.

"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind." James 1:6 (NKJV).

Still concerning the matter of wisdom, James tells us that when we ask for it we must ask believing and without doubt. The doubt in a time of prayer is no prayer at all, but empty and shallow words.

Faith in prayer is humbly going to the throne of grace, solely depending on the Father to meet the need that is requested. In this case the need is for wisdom. As Christians we should know and believe that wisdom comes from God alone, so why should there be any doubting. Every believer has been given a measure of faith; faith that believes God, trust God, and is dependent upon Him.

It really doesn’t matter what need we bring to the throne of God, it should be asked without doubting. Doubting refers to having one’s thinking divided; not just mental indecision; but because of moral conflict or just an out and out mistrust in God - no trust in God.

The way of the doubter is likened to a "wave of the sea". These waves are those out at sea away from land. When a storm comes up the sea can get quite rough, due to the winds. We have heard it said of politicians and others, "They make their decisions by which ever way the wind blows". That meaning of course they have none of their own, but go with the direction of the "majority". Doubters cannot get an answer to their request for wisdom. They are doubting that God can and/or will give them wisdom.

If we cannot trust the Lord to give us wisdom, then, from whom shall it come? It will not and we will be in our own little world, condemned to follow the wisdom of the world, which is the wisdom of the devil.

The wisdom God wants us to have is not philosophical, but practical for living. The wisdom God calls for us to have, as Christians, is for knowing how to live to the glory of our Lord.

"Wisdom" defined in the Mirriam/Webster Dictionary is; "1: accumulated philosophic or scientific learning: KNOWLEDGE; also: INSIGHT 2: good sense: JUDGMENT 3: a wise attitude or course of action." Now, that is probably how the world views wisdom, but that is not godly wisdom. Wisdom from God should be understood as knowing how to use what knowledge we have attained. Knowledge is not given to us to keep to ourselves, but to share with others, if it is beneficial for others to know. Of course there is some "knowledge" that is not worth knowing, and that is where godly wisdom will aid us in making that determination.

The wisdom of God is clear, open, and covers up nothing. The wise of God will not try and cover up a sin or fault, but will expose it, and deal with it. The so called wisdom of the world denies that there is such a thing as sin, therefore covers up those things which will come back to catch them later. There is many a professing Christian who follows the "wisdom of the world" and not the godly "wisdom" we must seek from God.

There is much said of "Wisdom" in the Proverbs. Chapters 8 and 9 of Proverbs especially gives us much concerning wisdom, and Wisdom is seen as a person. Proverbs 1:20 begins the writers teaching on wisdom throughout the book of wisdom.

My, how we need wisdom in our day. There is so much immorality in our world; dishonesty, adultery, all forms of sexual immorality, corporate theft, and as Christians we cannot be part of any of these things. There are some things happening which require much wisdom to make a decision of whether to participate in some activities or not. My solution to that is; If you need to ask the question it is probably best not to participate.

The Word says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God…" Part of the wisdom God gives is in knowing we lack wisdom. Wisdom, ie., godly wisdom comes solely from God, and we must admit that we fall sadly short of that too many times. We rush into situations without thought, without prayer, and without seeking wisdom for the matter. When we do that we find ourselves in messes too big to get ourselves out of. We find ourselves out of the will and glory of God.

There is a good illustration of this in the seventh chapter of Joshua. One thing that is clear in this event in the history of Israel is that they had just experienced victory over Jericho by the hand of God. They rushed to the city of Ai without consulting God on the matter, and didn’t realize that there was sin in their midst. A man by the name of Achan had violated the commandment of the LORD, and taken what was supposed to be destroyed, and hid it in his tent. When the army attempted to take the city of Ai, and thirty six men of Israel were killed. There was no victory, even though this was a smalled city than Jericho. When they lost in their first attempt, Joshua then, sought the LORD in prayer, and at the end of the day the LORD answered Joshua and told him "Israel has sinned". When Joshua and the people had dealt with the sin problem then, they were victorious over Ai; because God gave them wisdom on how to accomplish it, and God gave them the victory.

In the event with Joshua, if he would have sought the LORD in prayer first, God would have revealed to him the sin in the camp, and it could have been dealt with. It was a lack of wisdom which brought Joshua and Israel to their knees, and on their faces they find God’s will and direction. We can see by this that God can give us wisdom through our errors. It is wisdom that learns from our mistakes, and keeps us from repeating them. It is godly wisdom that aids us in doing those things that are godly, right, and just, and good.

If you lack wisdom ask God to give it to you. He gives it liberally to all who will ask and He will give it without rebuke, or making you feel shame in asking. Wisdom that is from God is "…pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy, and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy" (James 3:17), and that cannot be said of worldly devilish wisdom. The wisdom of God points you in the way of God, and godly living.

Walk With God Today.

-by Tim A. Blankenship

Patience is a virtue. It is in fact something that comes with time, and trials. It seems that just as soon as I reach a place where I think I am a patient man, that God will send something into my life which shows me I have a long way to go.

Patience is something you probably do not want to pray for. If you really want it, and God hears your prayer your life will be filled with trials or tests. The apostle Paul tells us that "tribulation worketh patience", and the word patience even means perseverance.

This perseverance is the patience which trust God through all the trials of life. It is a terrible tragedy when families suffer due to fire, storms, robberies, home invasions by reprobate men, and when their lives are afflicted by sickness, disease, and the loss of loved ones. These trials come on all people Christian and non-christian alike. Perseverance is what keeps the Christian going in faith. It is the faith that grows in the midst of these trials of life. It is the faith that is perfected through this life. These trials are times of preparation for our place with Jesus in eternity.

The word "Perfect" has nothing to do with sinless perfection. Someone has said, "Those who claim to be perfect are annoying to those of us who are." That is supposed to be just a humorous way of addressing the subject of sinless perfection. No one can reach the level of sinless perfection. Anyone who claims this for themselves is a liar, and the truth is not in him/her. Read 1 John 1:9-10. The truth is the closer we get to the Lord in our walk with Him, the more we realize how sinful we are, and how perfect He is. The closer one gets to the Light there is clearer revelation of our need for Him.

This perfection is one of perseverance, and that is given to us by our God and Savior, as we endure the trials of this life. It has to do with having a complete faith, and that faith is not truly completed until we stand with Jesus face to face. It is the faith that perseveres to the end that saves, and all who are truly saved will persevere to the end. True faith grows in trials, and never fades away. Blessed be the name of Jesus.

Walk With God Today.

-by Tim A. Blankenship

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." James 1:2-3 (NKJV).

Remember this letter of James is addressed to Jewish Christian brethren. The early church was made up of Jewish believers, followers of Jesus Christ. Due to persecution following the death of Stephen or the bitter ruling rod of Herod, they had dispersed to other areas of the known world.

All the people whom James writes, he assumes to be Christian. Why were these Christians leaving Jerusalem? It was of God for them to do so. This was of God because He wanted the gospel message of Jesus Christ to go throughout all the world. In this manner it began. That is probably one of the things for which James wrote, "Count it all joy…", because the will of God was being done, and more people would be coming to faith in Jesus Christ.

It is hard for Christians who have lived in a free country, having never experienced persecution, except maybe an unkind word, a slap, or a derogatory comment, or there may even be a few cases of false accusations brought against you, but we should expect those things. We should not think it strange when we suffer these things. We get so comfortable at times that we forget about living for God, His Son and His Word. We get into a selfish mode, and start thinking we are the only one’s who have it bad. May God forgive us.

"Count it all joy when you fall into various trials…". I cannot think of anyone who enjoys taking tests. The kind we took in school to test our knowledge, and what we have learned through the course of the week, month, quarter or year. One thing we Christians need to know is that they never end. There are tests throughout life. Someone has said, "The faith that can’t be tested; can’t be trusted". That is so true. If your faith cannot stand in the midst of trials, it will not get you through to the glory of Jesus Christ, therefore is no faith at all.

The faith that can be tested stands on the promises of God, even when it seems that God is nowhere nearby. The faith that can be tested continues to trust the Lord, even when the bills come due and there is no money to pay them; when the health fails, and there seems to be no hope; when the family forsakes you; when the spouse leaves you for a younger woman or man; when the job fades out, and is no more; when the house catches fire and burns to the ground; when the tornado comes through and destroys everything you own. The faith of God and His Son Jesus Christ will stand anykind of tests this world, the devil, and people, and those even God allows us to go through; that is thrown at us.

Patience is the product of a tried and tested faith which has endured to the end. We have heard of people who have prayed for patience something like this, "O God, give me patience and give it to me NOW". Faith that endures develops patience for "Waiting" on the Lord. That means trusting Him to carry us through to the very end.

Do you remember reading of Jesus on the sea of Galilee with the disciples, a storm came up, Jesus was asleep in the boat, and the storm didn’t bother Him, but the disciples were afraid they might die? Do you know why Jesus could sleep? He knew the Father had a special thing for Him to do in His life, and that the Father would get them across safely, in order for that thing to be carried out. If we are sure of our destination, then, we too can have peace, and count it all joy when we fall into various trials. Knowing that our Father in heaven has a plan for our life, we can rejoice in every trial.

James, the writer of this God breathed letter, is like Jude a half brother of the Lord Jesus. His father is Joseph, and his mother is Mary. Jesus’s mother is Mary, but His Father is Almighty God. The brothers could have played on being a brother to the Lord, but neither one chose to do so. Instead they saw themselves as a "bondservant". They chose to be His servants, rather than be known as His brothers.

The humility of James is brought to our attention from the start. We must learn from these men. We know by what we are taught by the apostle Paul that we are "joint heirs with Christ", yet we cannot act and behave as though we are on equal par with our Lord and Savior. James didn’t, nor should we.

James was a key leader of the Jerusalem church. He is even called one of the "Pillars" of the church (Galations 2:9). He only sees himself as a servant of Christ.

This letter is written to Jewish Christians. They have been dispersed throughout the land. They have been scattered due to persecution, beginning probably with the stoning of Stephen, and the harsh rule of Herod. The "twelve tribes" does refer to the tribes of Israel, and the Northern and Southern kingdoms are no longer separate, but have been brought together in the New Testament, and even previous to the New Testament; such as in books of Ezra, and Nehemiah.

James writes as a Jew to the Jews, but these words are for the Christian of our day (2008). Let us never back away from these words, the teaching of James, and of our Lord and Savior. Let us put on the cloak of humility such as James and his brother Jude, and let us sit at the feet of our Lord Jesus, and learn from Him. He is Lord.

Walk With God Today.

-by Tim A. Blankenship

"To God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen." Jude 25 (NKJV).

In this closing statement by Jude he clearly declares the deity of the One we call Savior. "To God our Savior". Anyone, person or religious organization who would deny the deity of Jesus Christ; or decrees deity to all who could or would achieve the "Christ-spirit" or whatever they would call it; denies the very heart of Christ Jesus; therefore they do not know Him. They are in fact worshipping a different "Jesus".

The Jesus whom Jude, Peter, James, John; and Matthew, Mark and Luke write of is Jesus Christ the Son of the living God, who is God made flesh, and "dwelt among us". He alone is the One who died for the sins of the whole world, was buried in a dead human body; and rose victoriously over sin, death and hell in a glorified human body. If you don’t know the Jesus who died as the incarnate God, was buried as the incarnate God, and rose again as the bodily form of God, then you know not my Jesus.

Jude gives Jesus as the One "who alone is wise". We can read the eighth and ninth chapters of Proverbs, and you see the Personification of wisdom, and that Person is none other than Jesus the Christ. Solomon is often given credit as being "the wiseth man who ever lived", but then, there is Jesus; the One who gave Him His wisdom. Jesus was wise to follow the guidance and direction of His heavenly Father. He desired to always do those things which pleased His Father, even to the death on the cross.

The glory of Jesus is in the fact that He did the Father’s will. We have all sinned and fell short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Jesus came, as like sinful men, yet without sin, and Himself was the glory of God on earth. He fulfilled the task which the first Adam failed to fulfill. As followers of Jesus Christ, and by imputation - the reckoning of God - we fulfill the glory of God. When we see Jesus we will see Him in all His glory and majesty. The only things we have which are symbols of majesty on earth are the eagle in the sky, and the lion. These pale in comparison to the majesty of Jesus.

With Jesus is all power, and He rules in the hearts of rulers, and will ultimately have His way in this world. One day the Lord Jesus will return to this earth, will overthrow the kingdoms of this world, and its rulers, and He Himself will rule and sin will no more have rule and dominion in the hearts and minds of men or women. These qualities which Jude ascribes to Jesus are given to Him also by the angels and the saints in heaven according to Revelation 4:10, 11; 5:12-14.

Give glory to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Father by believing in Jesus, and the work He has done on the cross, becoming sin for us, receiving the wrath of God that was ours, taking our sins away in His burial, then, rising victoriously over it all proving once and for all that He is all that He said He is. Proving that there is life after death, and that eternal life is found solely through the atoning work of Jesus Christ.

"To God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen."

Walk With God Today.

-by Tim A. Blankenship

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy…" Jude 24 (NKJV).

Can you imagine standing in a courtroom, you are the defendant, all the evidence has been given; you are guilty; you did the crime, and you figure that the judge is going to "throw the book" at you; sentencing you to the full extent of the law. You pled guilty, and the judge steps up to the judge’s seat, sits down, looks at his book of evidence; then, he says, "Not guilty, by reason of substitution. Someone else has already paid for the crime."

Wouldn’t that send a relieving shock through your mind, your heart? It does mine. We are all guilty before the great Judge who is Almighty God, the Creator of all that is. We have sinned - for those who do not understand what sin is; you/we have broken God’s law, we have stepped out of His will to do our own will, and made our own laws for ourselves - we have disobeyed His laws.

God, who is holy, righteous, and just could not fellowship with what was vile, unclean, and unholy, unrighteous, and unjust. Because He loved us so extremely much, He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross to pay our sin debt. There on that cross there was a transaction between the Father and Son which we cannot fully understand. The Father poured out all His wrath toward sin, upon that precious Son, and the Son submitted Himself to the Father’s will. Jesus, in fact, "became sin for us", and was "wounded for our transgression, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5). The Father, Himself struck His own Son in wrath for my sins and yours. The debt of sin is paid.

Jude tells us, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy." Not only is He able to keep us, but He is also able to present us before the presence of the glory of the Father "faultless". We will one day stand before the Judge of all men, women, boys and girls - those who have received Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior - and will hear the Judge say, "Not guilty; there is no fault here", and all because of the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross of calvary.

Those who have not received this gracious gift of God. Have shunned the truth of God’s Word, the gospel of Jesus Christ, will one day stand before this Judge, and will hear Him say, "I never knew you. Depart from me into everlasting judgment." That is not what you want, and I do not want that for you. If I have any enemy, other than the devil himself, I do not want that for them. Seek the face of God. Turn from your sins to Jesus Christ. There is forgiveness with Him alone. There is Cleansing through Him and only Him. There is eternal life by the power of His resurrection, and it is yours by grace through faith in Him.

Walk With God Today.

-by Tim A. Blankenship

"Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy…" Jude 24 (KJV).

The letter by Jude begins with words of assurance, encouragement, and promise. So Jude ends the letter the same way it began. It is so easy to get into a negative mindset. It is easy to see only the negative apostate teachings, and think what is the use.

Most of Jude’s letter has been concerning apostate teachers who come into the churches to deceive, and lead believers away from truth. We surely must continually stand our ground in faith of the true gospel of Jesus Christ, and that is - the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, and the promise of His soon coming.

With assuring confidence Jude points us to the One and only One who is worthy of all praise. That is, of course, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; Redeemer, Sanctifier, Satisfier, Sustainer, and Friend. It is in Him and Him alone that we can have assurance of faith. The faith Jesus gives us is the faith that never stops. It is the faith of Abraham - faith, that even after 25 years of hearing and believing the promise, no son, yet the son is born. That son was Isaac. It is the faith of Job who was one of the most blessed men of God who ever lived, and was blessed with many material blessings, yet, when he lost it all he said, "The LORD giveth, and the LORD taketh away" (Job 1:21); and Job also said, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (Job 13:15). That is the faith that Jesus gives us by grace. It is the faith that saves and keeps us saved. It is the genuine work of God, not of flesh. It is the faith that works. It is the faith that endures to the end.

We need messages of encouragement, promise, and hope sometimes; and we need the messages which warn us of apostate teachers and their teachings. We need messages of exhortation which show us how to live, love, confront the evil, and defend ourselves against what is evil. We have this promise, "Unto Him who is able to keep you from falling…". It is the power of our Omnipotent Lord Jesus Christ who will hold us and keep us from falling into the lying snares, and comforting, soothing temptations of the easy life talkers, and false gospel preachers and teachers.

At the beginning of this letter Jude uses the phrase, "…preserved in Jesus Christ." Jesus Christ is the initiator of our salvation, and He also sees to it that once that salvation has been initiated in our hearts and lives He also will complete it. Paul the apostle wrote these inspired words to the church at Philippi, "…Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…" (Philippians 1:6).

Everyday of the Christian is a day of God’s work in our lives. God sees to it that there is nothing in our walk with Him that does not work for our good and His glory. We are submissive to Him; and if we are not on one day, we will soon know it. We are obedient to His commandments; and if we are not He will correct us. If we get out of His will the true child of God - follower of Jesus Christ - will indeed be the most miserable person there is. The Holy Spirit in us is not comfortable with sin in the same vessel, and it will be cut out. Charles H. Spurgeon once said, "God will not allow His children to sin successfully". If you can sin, enjoy it, and get away with it without correction from God and His Spirit, you are not His; you have no hope for eternity with Christ, and you are without hope.

You must look to the cross of Jesus. That is the place where our sin debt was paid in full. Look to Christ and live eternally with Him. Confess your sins (disobedience to God’s laws and commandments, your hatred for God, and all that is right and good), repent, ie., turn from the direction you are going, and go the other way. The way you are going without Christ is the road to destruction, and eternal fire. Turn and live.

Walk With God Today.

-by Tim A. Blankenship

"…But others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh." Jude 23 (NKJV).

We look at verse 23 once again. After I finished the study on this verse I realized there was more there to be revealed than just the saving of those who had become ensnared in the apostate teachings that had led them astray. There are many still being led astray by apostate teachers and their heretical teachings. We are to preach the gospel, pure and simple, that they may possibly hear, believe, and come out of the bondage of heresy.

Those who warn them, teaching them the truth of the gospel, and whole counsel of the word of God, must also do so with "fear". We must guard our own hearts. Those who warn others of these teachings, are also hearing the lies, deceitful words, and acts; and if we don’t stand on the truth of the Word of God could be enticed by such easy hearing words.

Many of these apostate teachers and preachers are very charismatic, and possess a dynamic preaching and teaching style. They are easy to listen to. They would also be very easy to follow. That is why we as Christians must guard against what comes easy to us. Let me give an example or two. 1. It is easier to lie than to tell the truth; 2. It is easier to stay at home on Sunday than to be faithful in your attendance of worshipping the Lord; 3. It is easier to keep your money than to tithe, or put an offering in the plate as it passes in front of you; there is three. Let me give you another one; for a husband, it is easier to attend that football game, or baseball game with the guys, than to stay at home and help your wife with cleaning the house.

I only share those things to remind you that we are all prone to do the easy things, and listen to the easy going along to get along message, which makes us feel good about ourselves, and others. Preachers, who are called of God to preach were not called to please men or women, but to preach the Word of God, and to preach it in the power of His glory and His cross; no matter who it offends. It is better to please God and displease men, than it is to please men, and displease God. There is more to this life than comfort, and ease.

"Save with fear…" is words of wisdom coming from Jude, and it is the wisdom of the Spirit of God. It is by the study, reading, prayer, and the living of the Word of God in personal life that we can stand against the flashy, easy, dynamic, charismatic, and false teaching of the apostate teachers. This is not just for the preacher, pastor, or teacher. It is for all Christians to hear, and take heed to yourselves.

The message of the Bible is the message of Jesus. It is about His death on the cross - and the shedding of His blood; His burial and carrying our sins away, our sin debt paid to the Father in full; and His resurrection proving and assuring us that everything Jesus said of Himself, and the Father is true; and by His resurrection we have the assurance that when He said, "I will come again", that He will indeed come again.

Snatch them from the burning fire of lying deceptions, and apostate teachers; and guard yourselves with "fear", ie., considering yourself (Galations 6:1).

Walk With God Today.

-by Tim A. Blankenship

In the previous study of Jude 22 we dealt with compassion, and Compassion dave left a comment concerning the meaning of the word as a "coming along side", well, let me give you his exact words:

And, with this I would give CD appreciation for this help and aid in understanding. Thank You CD.

There are a couple of way of approaching these two verses, ie. verses 22 and 23. Some see three groups of people who are being associated with the apostates, yet it seems to me that there are only two. The first being those who need compassion from those who are holding to the truths of God’s Word and the gospel of Jesus Christ; and the other group being those who are so heavily involved in the worship of "Faith" that they need more than compassion, but hasteful warnings, as though snatching them from a fire.

We are often warned about being too hasty in some matters. There are some times, and some people who may require our haste. For example; Suppose you are driving down your road from home, and pass by a neighbor’s home, and you see fire where fire is not supposed to be. Do you drive on? Do you stop and investigate? In the investigation you find if the fire is allowed to continue it could very well burn the neighbor’s house down. You knock on the door, but there is no response. Do you just leave? A good neighbor would do their best to stop that fire, call the fire department, and do what is necessary to save the home and any possible lives who may be inside, if any. That requires a bit of haste.

We look at the lives of people involved in these false religions, ensnared by the false teachings, because these teachings make them feel so good about themselves; and it is actually a fire, a spiritual fire which is burning, taking the very souls of these individuals further away from truth and the Lord GOD. We should be caring enough to take time and address these matters. Sure there is going to be offense, but doesn’t the lies, the deception, the false teaching of the apostates, and their pride offend the true gospel of Jesus Christ, denying the power of the cross of Christ and His resurrection.

When will those professing Christ learn, and realize that being a Christian is not about achieving this world’s goods. The Christian life is about the praise and glory of the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. The glory of God is done through the power of the cross, His burial, and resurrection, and the promise of His coming again. The glory of God is seen in His power to work in the trials and troubles of every Christian’s life. God is glorified in the life of a Christian who despite cancer and dying from it continues to give praise to the name of Jesus throughout the whole ordeal, then goes on to be with Jesus in Heaven. The glory of God is seen in a man and wife who loves the Lord despite financial hardship, and even into bankruptcy.

That is not what the false teachers are teaching. That is not what they want you to hear. That is, however, what God teaches us in His Word, and it is what He wants you to know and hear.

It is with great urgency we should deal with those engrained in the lies of false teaching and teachers. It is also with "fear" that we should consider our own faith in Jesus as we deal with them. Prayer, daily being in the Word of God, and walking with God daily is the only way to confront them, with the truth and love of God.

Walk With God Today.

-by Tim A. Blankenship

"And on some have compassion, making a distinction…" Jude 22 (NKJV).

We will be looking today at a group on whom Jude is calling for Christians to have compassion. There are times when we Christians are seen as being without compassion. The definition for "compassion" is: ’sympathetic feeling: PITY, MERCY.’ That is according to THE MIRRIAM/WEBSTER DICTIONARY. It is for those who have experienced mercy to give or show mercy.

We have already seen that we are all responsible for our own growth in our Lord Jesus Christ. There are, however, many who have fallen victim to false teaching, and the teachers of it. These victims of apostate teachers need us to show them great mercy, because they are some who have not reached a firm conviction of who Jesus truly is, about eternal life, and they remain unsure, doubtful, and could be persuaded of the truth of the identity of Jesus Christ.

Most Christians probably know some who have sit, or presently are sitting under the teaching of a man, or a woman, who is leading them away from the truth of Jesus Christ. These teachers proclaim, in the name of Jesus, things that lesson the power of the cross of Christ. They magnify "faith" over truth. Magnifying "faith" over truth is done by focusing more on what you can have, ie., wealth, health, etc., but there is no teaching on growing in the Lord Jesus and becoming more like Him. These apostate teachers may in fact, teach that you can become "Christ". I recently heard of an apostate group who believe that the universe revolves around the earth, and that the King James Version of the Bible is God in written form.

We must have "compassion" on those who have fallen into these cultic practices, and beliefs. It is tragic that there are those who would develop followers unto themselves, and lead them astray from the Lord Jesus. I have always said, and believe, that I want no one to elevate me, or see me in a position of grandeur. I am solely a sinner who has been saved by the grace of God, through the death - shed blood of Jesus Christ, His burial, and resurrection. And I like most Christians are looking forward to the day when we can see Jesus our Lord and Savior face to face, and live in His eternal presence.

When we see those who have been led astray; we must have compassion, give them the truth; in love; and trust the Holy Spirit of God to show them the way. When someone has sit under false teaching for a long time it may take much compassion, and patience with good Bible teaching to deliver them from the snare of the apostates.

Let us be strong. Let us be compassionate. Let us let others see the true Jesus and His truth in us. There are doubters in this world that are still open to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us love them like Jesus would. Let us show mercy with our words and our lives.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.

-by Tim A. Blankenship