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Have you ever been around a campfire and dropped something right on the edge of it? If it was a toasted marshmallow, you probably shrugged and let it burn. Much easier to toast another. But if you dropped your phone, you’d quickly snatch it from the flames, right? Or kick it to safety. Your phone is important enough to risk a burn.
Jude 1:23 tells us one way to watch out for others. It says, “snatch others from the fire and save them.” (NIV) In other words, when a follower of Jesus falls, we need to quickly reach out to restore them. We can’t just shrug as if they were a marshmallow. They are far too valuable.
The verse continues and says, “to others show mercy, mixed with fear–hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.” (NIV) To understand this, picture a virulent disease. People need help, but you must be careful. All the clothing and bed clothes are contaminated and highly infectious. You must take precautions. The same is true in a spiritual sense. People who struggle with powerful issues need our help. But we must be vigilant to avoid falling ourselves.
Jude urges us to contend for the faith. We need to fight for the truth. But we also need to care for each other, assisting those who doubt, snatching some to safety and carefully helping those with powerful problems.
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.