“Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life” (Jude 1.21). “As you wait” is a phrase of hope. Hope is an important protection to our faith because it gives us long range perspective. It’s looking through life’s circumstances to see something good that’s coming. It’s taking God at his Word for promises we may not see right now, nor even in our lifetime.
In Jude’s time, the false teaching of “do anything you want” lead to destruction. It’s the same in our time. Jude directs Jesus followers away from destructive “quick pleasure and satisfaction” to an attitude of faithful trust and long term obedience to God’s truth.
Throughout history Jesus followers have withstood temptation, persecution, and every sort of spiritually dangerous environment by placing their hope in the character and promises of Jesus.
This hope starts at the cross (John 3.16) and culminates in Jesus’ victorious return to earth (Matthew 24.30). But trusting to hope requires patience and tenacity in the face of lies that try to pull us away from what is true, right, and good in the eyes of God.
Faith erodes without hope. Today as you meet with God, offer him those chinks in your armor that lay your heart open to attack. Listen to the song “All My Hope” by Hillsong and thank him for protecting us through hope in his promises.
