Jude 3–Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

I believe there is a healthy self-examination to know that the biggest “competition” you have in life is yourself…(2 Corinthians 13:5)

When you read the passage from Jude, “contend for the faith” implies that we are to defend or uphold it.  But the word “contend” in this passage means “to exert intense effort on behalf” of something.  So we remove the idea of “contending” against the world or the devil, to “contending” with our apathy and complacency…

Most of my prayers, have to do with God overcoming complacency I have in different areas of my life.  So I have to be honest in all of those areas and ask, “Am I exerting intense effort for Christ in this area?”  This immediately takes away blaming situations and people for my mood,or  just lack of fruit for Christ sake…

A Christian’s life reveals the victory Christ won for us, when we see our complacency in an area, replaced by faith for that specific area!  So there really is no excuse for me  not to display “intense effort” in such areas.  Except to take responsibility for not praying to have faith in them, which is God’s will and desire to answer!  (John 14:13)

My prayer lately has been for God to help me have a heart to “exert intense effort” on behalf of the situations/people I am apathetic towards.  To affirm that I am alive for Christ sake, living to fulfill His purpose in all areas of my life…

In His Love, Ld