Encouragement for Your Week: October 5-11

This Week’s Verse

Keep yourselves safe in God’s love, as you wait for the Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy to give you eternal life.
— Jude 21 (ERV)

Devotion

Jesus and the apostles warned that false teachers would come, and it didn’t take long for this to happen. Jude, who wrote the verse above, sent out a short but very direct letter against these false teachers. One commentary even calls it “a relentless and passionate condemnation of the apostate teachers.”

Why was Jude so harsh?

Because the message of Jesus must never be twisted. As the brother of Jesus, Jude deeply loved the truth of God’s grace and would not tolerate any distortion of it. He encouraged believers to “fight hard for the faith that God gave his holy people” (verse 3). Jude’s goal was to protect the church from spiritual danger.

That’s why his language is so strong. He described the false teachers as “dirty spots,” “fruitless trees,” and “wild waves of the sea.” In verse 8, he even calls them “dreamers.” This likely meant they claimed to have visions or revelations from God, using them to excuse their sinful actions. The danger here is real: claiming that dreams or visions carry God’s authority when they don’t. That’s why everything must be tested by Scripture. As 2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us, “all Scripture is given by God,” and Acts 20:27 says the Bible contains “everything that God wants you to know.”

If we don’t fully trust God’s Word and learn it for ourselves, we can easily fall for false teaching. That’s why Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:20-22: “Don’t treat prophecy like something that is not important. But test everything. Keep what is good and stay away from everything that is evil.”

So what does Jude tell us to do?

First, “keep yourselves safe in God’s love.” God’s love is the reason we exist, and it’s more than enough to sustain our faith. As we love God and His Word, we’ll be able to recognize and reject lies.

Second, Jude says to “wait for the Lord Jesus Christ.” Keeping our hope in His return strengthens us. That expectation helps us endure.

Finally, Jude urges us to “help those who have doubts” (verse 22). When others struggle or fall for false teaching, we should encourage them with the truth of Christ.

Consider taking time this week to read all of Jude’s short letter. Read it slowly. It warns us, builds us up, and—most importantly—points us back to the hope we have in Jesus.

This Week’s Challenge

Commit to reading the book of Jude once each day this week. After each reading, journal one way the text warns you about false teaching and one way it calls you to live more faithfully in God’s love. At the end of the week, pray over your notes, asking God to strengthen your discernment and deepen your hope in Christ’s return.