When Crisis Decides Content

Scripture Reading: 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 delivered to the saints.

In his brief letter, Jude begins by letting us know this isn’t what he had intended or hoped to write about. He wanted this to be about salvation, a reminder, and rejoicing in the good news of Jesus Christ. As he put pen to parchment, Jude realized that what he wanted to write and what he needed to write were two separate issues, and what he wanted had to be put on the back burner. He needed to write what needed to be written.

The church was under attack from false teachers. They needed to be armed with discernment. They needed to have a clear-eyed understanding of who they were contending with and what the stakes were. They needed instruction on what they were to do about it and how they were to navigate those troubled seas.

Sometimes what we want to do, say, or write isn’t the same as what we need to do, say, or write. When it comes to choosing between what needs to be done and what we want to do, always take the path of doing what we need to do. Be willing to die to what we want, so we can make room for what others need from us.