January 16 | Jude 17-25

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DAILY READING

Jude 17-25

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REFLECTION

Fear

By Jennifer Jerrome

What is your relationship with fear?

Fear can keep us from doing crazy things, but too much or too little isn’t good. So, what is healthy fear? And what exactly does v. 23 mean - mercy, mixed with fear? 

This is where today’s scripture took me, to an analysis of fear. I can tell you my relationship with fear leans more towards the unhealthy. As someone who struggles with anxiety, fear tends to overwhelm me.

For Jude, fear is what helps shape our faith. Verses 18-19 point to scoffers who follow their own ungodly desires…who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

A lack of fear can propel people into sinful situations, but that’s not to say an abundance of fear keeps people from sin. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. I’m just as likely to sin as a daredevil is. But as a person of faith, what I do have is the Holy Spirit.

Much has been written about the Holy Spirit as conscience. I’m not a huge fan of AI, but when I typed in Holy Spirit as conscience, this is what it gave me and I’m not sure I could have explained it any better:

“The Holy Spirit works with and empowers the conscience, which is the inner sense of right and wrong, but they are distinct; the conscience can be fallible and shaped by experience, while the Holy Spirit provides divine guidance, convicts of sin, and renews the conscience through God's Word, leading believers toward holiness and aligning their inner moral compass with God's will. The Spirit sharpens the conscience, giving conviction and clarity beyond mere human feeling, helping discern God's will from personal biases or worldly influences.” 

(Sorry, now I’m developing a fear that AI is way better at this than me.)

At the core, it’s my relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that drives out fear – the kind that doesn’t serve us. My faith fosters a healthy fear that gives me boundaries and makes me think twice about my thoughts and actions. It allows me to show mercy to sinners but not to sin itself.

So, I’m going to follow Jude’s advice in verses 20-21 and ask you to join me by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

PRAYER

The book ends with a Doxology or praise, so I’ll let Jude wrap things up:

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JENNIFER JERROME

I have known I was a child of God from the beginning. I was baptized and raised in the Catholic church and began attending UALC about 18 years ago when my husband I were searching for a place to worship and serve as a family. UALC has helped shape our faith over the years. We have been through several seasons of life and the constant has been our faith and family.