Firefighting Gear

ALL – Psalm 127:1-5
ALL – Proverbs 29:15-17
OT – Hosea 10:1-14:9
NT – Jude 1:1-25

Interesting passage for the day: Save some by snatching them as from the very flames of hell itself. And as for others, help them to find the Lord by being kind to them, but be careful that you yourselves aren’t pulled along into their sins. Hate every trace of their sin while being merciful to them as sinners. – Jude 1:23, The Living Bible

Thought: Just as I was drifting off to sleep two nights ago, I had a horrible dream/imagination: flames had broken out in Emma’s and Michael’s room and they were trapped. They needed help. Fast.

I imagined myself diving, unprotected, through the flames in the doorway to snatch my screaming children out of their room. None of us made it out unhurt. All of us were scorched by the flames.

When we Christians go on our search and rescue missions to turn parents, neighbors, co-workers and children from the flames fueled by their sins to the life given us by Jesus, we can and should be more prepared than I was. We should be more like firefighters and less like desperate parents working to save children from flames. Both parents and firefighters are vulnerable to the very flames they’re fighting. The difference between them isn’t an inherent flame resistance. The difference is their readiness and protection.

As Christians battling to save other people from their sins, we too are vulnerable. It’s important that we protect ourselves from falling into other people’s sins. None of us is strong enough to walk through the flames of sin on our own without being burnt. We need Jesus for every step of the mission. We need to be depending on His salvation ourselves. We need to commit our minds and hearts into His hands to keep us holy, staying within the limits of His protection by obeying what He tells us to do. We need to belong fully to Jesus, who protects His children.

Question: Have you found that sometimes when you’re trying to pull people out of their sins, you end up falling into some kind of sin yourself? What kinds of sin do you usually fall into? When we fall into sins, we’ve reached beyond the limits of Jesus’ protective commands. Where do you find yourself stepping outside of Jesus’ commands in your efforts to save others?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.