Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them.
Jude 1:10 NIV
Destroy Themselves
A 144-year-old building in Winnipeg is now no more after a fire ripped through the vacant Manwin Hotel this past January. The building had served as a residency for dozens of people over the last number of years. Early last year, it was completely vacated after it was plagued by crime and other issues and then permanently closed by the city. Winnipeg’s mayor Scott Gillingham said this fire is proof that the city made the correct call in shutting down the hotel.
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We live in an age of loud opinions and quick judgments – just take a few minutes on any social media platform. We speak before we listen, condemn before we understand, and react before we pray. In Jude 1:10 the apostle reminds us that when faith is reduced to instinct instead of submission, it becomes dangerous. Instinct, untethered from truth, will always drift toward pride. And pride, left unchecked, has a way of undoing us. He writes this: “Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct – as irrational animals do – will destroy them.” The Christian life is not meant to be lived by impulse but by illumination. God does not call us to figure everything out on our own; He calls us to walk humbly, taught by His Spirit and shaped by His Word. Today’s invitation is simple but costly: slow down, listen well, and remain teachable. Ask the Lord to guard your tongue, soften your heart, and deepen your understanding. Grace grows best in soil that is humble. May we be people who speak less, listen more, and lean fully on the wisdom of God rather than the noise within ourselves.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley