God’s Plan – Page 30 – Three Minute Bible

June 2, 2020June 2, 2020

1 Peter 1: 1(a) — Everyman

Two men work on fishing nets in the early morning light.

Peter…

As we begin our meditations on 1 Peter, it seems fitting that his text begins with his name. Since this “book” of the Bible is a letter, Peter follows the tradition of letter writing used two thousand years ago. Today we would begin with, “Dear Sir and/or Madam,” or something similar. Not until the end of the letter would our signature reveal who the author is. In Peter’s time, that was not the case. He begins, “Peter…” and then continues with a description of his credentials. Only then does he tell us who he is writing to.

May 31, 2020May 31, 2020

Jude 1: 25e — A Reasonable Faith

…before all ages, now and forevermore!

The nature of time is an interesting and much-debated topic. It exists to help us navigate life by dividing our experiences up in three ways: past, present, and future. God’s view of time is different than ours (See Psalm 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8). In fact, time may not have any meaning in heaven except as it relates to our world and our need for temporal structure.

Jude writes that God is God, “… before all ages, now and forevermore!” He is covering all the bases. There never has been a time when God wasn’t God. There never will be a time when God is not God.

Why is this important?

May 30, 2020May 31, 2020

Jude 1: 25d — Something Fishy

Large aquarium with people standing outside looking in at the fish.

…through Jesus Christ our Lord …

Jude is nearing the end of his letter and his doxology. Today he tells us something very important and also very mysterious. Everything God does is through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Several questions come to mind. How does Jude know this? What does it mean? How does this work?

The reason I say that this is “mysterious” is that some things are beyond our ability to know. We can guess, and we can surmise, but we can’t know. Even though this is beyond our ability to know the answer directly, God has given us some clues in his Word.

May 28, 2020May 29, 2020

Jude 1: 25b — Saved

… our Savior …

As we continue with Jude’s doxology, we follow him from praising God for what he does for us (keeping us from stumbling and presenting us without fault) to describing the attributes of God. The first attribute is that He is the only God. There is no other God. He does not have any competition.

Today we turn to his most important work; the saving of his creation.

May 23, 2020May 23, 2020

Jude 1: 23b — The Colors of Love

… to others show mercy, mixed with fear …

Mercy and fear. What an odd combination! What could Jude mean?

The meaning of the word “mercy” seems self-evident to me. To be merciful to others is to accept them as they are, warts and all. If they have offended me I show forgiveness in return. If they are offensive to me, I ignore the offense and treat them as I would want to be treated myself. But what about fear?

Are we to be afraid ourselves, or are we to instill fear in others?

May 22, 2020May 28, 2020

Jude 1: 23a — Rescue

Two men operate a firehose against a background of hot flame.

…save others by snatching them from the fire…

James is offering us some parting words of wisdom and encouragement. By building yourself up in faith and praying in the Holy Spirit we remain strongly bound to God’s love. Then he tells us to be merciful to those who doubt. Today he adds, “… save others by snatching them from the fire…”

What fire?

In verse 7 Jude writes that Sodom and Gomorrah “… serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.” Ouch! That sounds unpleasant!

May 21, 2020May 22, 2020

Jude 1: 22 — Doubt

A man welds steel on a construction site.

Be merciful to those who doubt…

Jude continues to give us his advice. Perhaps what he says sounds surprising. After all, he has spent the larger part of his letter warning us against the ungodly. Now he says, “Be merciful to those who doubt…” Could it be that he is worried some might confuse doubting with being ungodly?

It is a fair question. If you have spent any time at all reading this blog you know that I have a lot of questions! And if ever there is a quiet moment, I can come up with more questions at the drop of a hat.

May 17, 2020May 17, 2020

Jude 1: 20b — Choices

A child stands before 12 gum ball machines, each with a different color of candy.

… by building yourselves up in your most holy faith…

As people we have choices in life. As Christians, we have choices to make, too. One of those choices is whether we choose to build ourselves up in holy faith.

This past year I suffered an injury to my shoulder. I chose to wait and see if it would get better by itself. It didn’t. Instead of getting better, I learned to adapt or guard the injury. When I finally saw the doctor a few months later, he confirmed that the injury was severe enough to have limited the motion in my arm. He referred me to a physical therapist. I now had another choice to make: live with the pain or deal with therapy. Eventually, I chose therapy.

May 16, 2020May 16, 2020

Jude 1: 20a — Dear Friends

Friends silhouetted against the setting sun.

But you, dear friends…

Jude is done writing about the “ungodly.” His letter is short, taking less than three minutes to read the whole thing. After a brief greeting, he jumps into his topic and doesn’t let go. Now, only a few words from the end of his letter, he abruptly stops and changes direction. At this point, he is talking to his brothers and sisters in Christ, those who believe. Those who are part of the Body of Christ.

But you, dear friends…

Who are his friends? These are the people who are called by God. They are loved in God the Father. They are kept for Jesus Christ. They have mercy, peace, and love. They share in salvation through the promise and presence of Jesus in their lives. And, they contend for the faith.

May 15, 2020May 16, 2020

Jude 1: 17-19 — The Big Red Flag

But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

In 2 Peter 3: 3 Peter writes, “Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.” (NIV) The way Jude tells it this must have been common knowledge with the apostles. The “last times” are here and so are the scoffers.