false teachers – Be Still…

Galatians 5:1-26 – Living by the Spirit

Paul makes it sound easy to live by the Spirit, doesn’t he? We’re given a lot of wisdom in this passage; we could reflect for days. Especially if you’re finding it harder to fight off the messages you hear from friends that are contrary to the teachings of the Bible. These verses can really convict you to stand firm and not lose heart. Choosing the Holy Spirit is always the correct choice.

Again, Paul makes strong arguments for faith in Jesus. He gives concrete examples to his readers of what going down the wrong path looks like. His list of ways our sinful nature can trip us up got my attention. We’re all guilty. It’s way too easy to give in to our sinful nature because that’s what “feels” right. Clearly, our feelings often deceive us. The Holy Spirit never will. Continue reading “Galatians 5:1-26 – Living by the Spirit”

Jude 1-25 – A Message to Believers Everywhere

Read Jude 1-25

The short book of Jude comes right before Revelation, containing only one chapter, but how convicting! Who is Jude, you may be asking? Would you believe he was the half-brother of Jesus? Jude, short for Judas, was indeed related to Jesus, and yet he humbly introduces himself here as Jesus’ slave. Following Jesus’ resurrection, Jude began his own ministry to believers.

Jude’s message may be hard for us to hear. We are called, sanctified, and preserved. That part is quite comforting. And I’m going to cling to Jude’s prayer for us that “God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.” The hard part is that even our holiest places may not be completely sacred if infested by false teachers and misguided friends. Continue reading “Jude 1-25 – A Message to Believers Everywhere”

2 Peter 2:1-22 – Beware!

Read 2 Peter 2:1-22

Consider yourself warned. The evil one is lurking, using crafty people to deceive and throw us off our path toward God. I could end this reflection right now because that truth seems even more real in our day. It’s hard to imagine the corruption Peter and his contemporaries would have faced.

Today we see the division erupting in the United States. There have been differing viewpoints from the beginning of time, as well as crafty lies being spoken and believed. Remember the garden and the serpent spewing “wisdom” to Eve? It’s hard to believe we still haven’t figured out how to outsmart the evil one. Continue reading “2 Peter 2:1-22 – Beware!”

2 Peter 2:17-22 – Are You Disgusted Yet?

Read 2 Peter 2:17-22

Dissociation and disgust may be what Peter is going for when he uses the dramatic example of dog vomit. If you’ve ever had a pet, you have probably been grossed out by this phenomenon. Peter uses this and other proverbs in today’s reading to help us appreciate the serious dangers of false teachers among us.

Peter’s fear was that if we go astray and listen to these teachers, we’ll never return to God. Their lure is enticing. It’s up to us to have the discernment and boldness to be strong in our faith. There is a lot of truth in Peter’s statement: “you are a slave to whatever controls you.” Think about that for a moment. What are you being controlled by?

2 Peter 2:10-16 – Avoid Destruction

Read 2 Peter 2:10-16

How much more can be said about false teachers? Avoiding them seems to be the wise thing to do. We can avert our own destruction when we keep our eyes on Jesus instead.

Peter has absolutely no regard for false teachers as he likens them to “unthinking animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed.” We should adopt similar thinking lest we, too, be destroyed. Yet, these “beasts” are among us.