The shortest book in the Bible is Jude - it contains only one chapter and 25 verses. Who was Jude? According to all sources and references, he was the brother of Jesus. Although his letter is brief, it is very much to the point and is written to those called by Jesus. He reminds us that we walk among unbelievers. He tells us what we are to do and how we are to do it, being ever mindful of the fact that we are to stay focused on God in our challenge. He reminds us to show mercy towards those who do not believe, yet in that mercy to be fearful of their ways. He tells us to hate the sin, but not the sinner.
There are many instances in our lives that bring our paths to cross with unbelievers and people who are not washed in the blood of salvation. They, too, are God's children! Some can be saved, others cannot. Jude warns us to be careful when interacting with these people, we should, at best, "put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Eph 6:11)".
Tough job? Not as tough as you might think! Remember ~ we already know how the story ends (the book of Revelation tells us that). There are no spoilers in this story! Jesus WILL come again and Satan WILL be defeated and those who have chosen the side of the worldly and of the flesh will not be invited to the table. For the Lord will meet them (as he will all of us) and his words to them will be "depart from me, I never knew you". What words do you want to hear? Personally, I want to hear "well done, good and faithful servant" so I continue to struggle day in and day out with the temptations of the world.
In the end, Jesus is all we have. To realize that Jesus is all we need is the part that confounds us. We keep the focus on him, he will keep us safe and we will share in the victory that is his!
