Connected Earnestly For The Faith by Kathi Macias
Contend earnestly for the faith
which was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3).
There’s an old saying that goes something like this: If we don’t stand for something, we’ll fall for anything. Never is that truer than for those of us who have committed ourselves to proclaiming God’s Word. Whether we write fulltime or part-time; fiction or nonfiction; poems, short stories, magazine articles, web blogs, or devotionals; children’s books or adult Bible studies; letters to prisoners or shut-ins…the point is not so much to whom we write and how, but what and why we write, regardless of style.
Is our purpose to draw unbelievers to the Father’s heart? Then we’d better be sure we ourselves are firmly connected and committed to His heart on a daily basis, having been born again by the Spirit of God within us. Is our purpose to disciple, teach, and encourage our brothers and sisters in the Lord? Then we’d better be sure we ourselves are daily studying God’s Word so that we know it well enough to “contend earnestly for the faith.”
Have you ever allowed yourself to be drawn into an argument about God and faith and religion, only to be chewed up and spit out because you didn’t know the Scriptures well enough to defend your position with confidence? I’m sure we all have at some time, but I hope it taught us not to allow it to happen again. Jesus said the reason we are in error in our thinking and make poor judgment calls is because we don’t intimately “know” and understand the Scriptures (see Mark 12:24). This is why we are admonished in 1 Timothy 2:15 to regularly study the Scriptures if we want to be able to “rightly divide [understand/teach] the word of truth.”
No one can be a strong Christian without diligent Bible study. I also know that those who don’t study the Scriptures don’t like to hear that statement, but personal likes and dislikes don’t change the truth. If we don’t settle in our hearts now what we believe and why, we will never be strong enough to take a stand and “earnestly contend” for the faith when we are confronted and challenged on it.
And it will happen, friends, not just by those outside the Church, but by those within—wolves in sheep’s clothing who creep in to bring dissension and discord among true believers and to water down the gospel with an “I’m okay, you’re okay” philosophy of life that was born in the pit of hell rather than the heart of heaven.
If God has called you, in whatever capacity, to be a communicator of His Truth, then I urge you to reaffirm your commitment to do so by diligently studying His Word and earnestly contending for the faith—whatever the cost. When people see that we are not only willing to live for our faith but to die for it as well (as believers in other countries do), they will be more inclined to read/listen/give credence to our words.