Jude 1:5

Now I want to remind you, although you are fully informed once for all that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe (who refused to trust and obey and rely on Him).

People may ask why a loving God will let people go to hell. The answer can be related to sending a lifeboat to rescue someone, but they refuse to get on.  If the person refuses the offer to be free of sin and accepts salvation, they will not be saved. It isn’t the choice God wants them to make, but their choice.

Jude 1:4

For certain people have crept in unnoticed. The ungodly person whose condemnation was predicted long ago, for they distort the grace of our God into decadence and immoral freedom (viewing it as an opportunity to do whatever they want), and deny and disown our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

As in the time of Jude and now, our faith has been challenged by outside influences.  The devil doesn’t want us to be Christians and believe in Jesus or the Bible. That is why Jude tells people to guard their faith and not be drawn away from what they have been taught. Just as we must keep our guards up and focus intensely and the word in our hearts. 

Jude 1:3

Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I was compelled to write you (urgently) appealing that you fight strenuously for (the defense of) the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints (the faith that is the sum of Christian belief that was given verbally to believers).

As Christians, we must fight to keep our faith from being tainted by worldly influences and corruption. It matters what we watch and listen to because of its impact on our thinking.  Where we concentrate our time will have the most influence. Our faith will stay strong if we focus our time on the word.

2 John 1:6

And this is love: that we walk in accordance with His commandments and are guided continually by His precepts.  This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning that you should walk in love.

Love and kindness keep our lives out of strife.  When we follow the commandments given by Jesus and love each other is one of them, peace follows.  When we get caught up in our self-desires over following the direction of love from the bible, we end up feeling like we missed it.  The love path keeps us from wanting what doesn’t satisfy us. 

John 1:4-5

I was greatly delighted to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father. Now I ask you, lady, not as if I were writing to you a new commandment but (simply reminding you of) the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love and unselfishly see the best for one another. 

This world needs us to show love and kindness to everyone we meet, whether Christian or not.  Showing love does not mean we approve of bad behavior.  Showing love means remembering that Jesus first loved us and died for our ugly sins.  When we meet people having a bad day, show them, love.

Hebrews 13:7

Remember your leaders (for it was they) who brought you the word of God; and consider the result of their conduct (the outcome of their godly lives), and imitate their faith (their conviction that God exists and is the Creator and Ruler of all things, the Provider of eternal salvation through Christ, and imitate their reliance on God with absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness).

As Christians, we are surrounded by many examples and leaders in the faith. Our goal is to listen, imitate their faith, and learn from their instruction. God teaches through our pastors and ministers, bringing us closer to maturity and deepening our understanding of the word. We learn to rely on and trust confidently in God by the examples of people God has set to shepherd us.   

James 3:13

Who among you is wise and intelligent? Let him by his good conduct show his (good) deeds with gentleness and humility of true wisdom. 

The wisdom of God far outweighs the wisdom of man. Our humility before the Lord will keep our hearts teachable so that we can walk in the knowledge of God. When we are still and willing to listen to the voice of instruction, we can bypass many problems. God will direct and lead us if we are willing to be led by Him. 

James 5:8-9

You too, be patient; strengthen your hearts (keep them energized and firmly committed to God), because the coming of the Lord is near. Do not complain against one another, believers, so that you will not be judged (for it). Look! The Judge is standing right at the door.

We don’t want to run this race for the Lord in vain. Our best defense against letting the devil send thoughts of judgment against a fellow Christian is to stop the ideas before they take root. We don’t know what another person is going through, but God does. God is the best judge of every situation, and a prayer for the person would free our hearts from any judgment from God.

Matthew 22:16

They sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are sincere and that You teach the way of God truthfully, without concerning Yourself about (what) anyone (thinks or says about your teachings); for You are impartial and do not seek anyone’s favor (and treat all people alike, regardless of status).

Jesus is a living example of how to walk in honor and be godly for the glory of God in heaven. Our goal is to follow the example of Jesus so that even the sinners know where we stand as Christians. When we seek only to walk pleasing before God, we will be impartial to man’s favor. We will be sincere in our faith, making known all that is good about God. 

Luke 6:40

A student is not superior to his teacher; but everyone, after he has been completely trained, will be like his teacher. 

As a Christian, life will be a road of failure and success, but we should learn from the example of  Jesus. We can never stop trying even after we have setbacks in our faith walk because as we grow in the knowledge of scripture, we will grow in the practice of faith. Our job is to get trained and be a godly example for others on earth.