Not Just Another Cute Journal Season: A Call to Maturity in the New Year
Photo by Julie Molliver on Unsplash
Jude begins his letter by telling us he wanted to write about our shared salvation, encouragement, unity, and the joy we share as believers. But instead, he felt compelled to change course.
“I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation,” Jude says, “but I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3).
He could have launched straight into his warning.
He could have skipped the explanation and gone directly to urgency.
But he does not.
He shows us discernment in real time.
Not because believers were failing, but because danger had quietly crept in.
“For certain people have crept in unnoticed,” Jude writes (Jude 1:4).
I, too, wanted to write a gentle, float-into-the-new-year message.
But I feel it necessary to deliver a call to wake up, mature, and contend for the faith entrusted to us.
Jude is not saying, “Be afraid of everyone.”
He is saying, “Stop being spiritually passive.”
Recognize Threat Without Obsession
Jude does address false teachers, but it is crucial to notice how he does it.
His letter is not centered on exposing false prophets or fixating on judgment.
Jude gives examples, but his focus remains on believers and their response.
He does not command believers to confront, call out, or publicly expose false teachers.
Instead, he brings awareness.
Jude wants believers to recognize the threat, not so they become reactive or suspicious, but so they become rooted, discerning, and mature.
He warns that they do not arrive loudly or obviously.
They creep in unnoticed and distort grace.
They use spiritual language while producing spiritual emptiness.
The threat is subtle, not sensational.
In our day, this subtlety is amplified by access.
We are surrounded by unlimited information, spiritual language, and instant teaching.
Even tools meant to help us can blur the line between truth, opinion, and distortion if we are not grounded in Scripture ourselves.
The issue is not access to information, but the absence of discernment.
His concern is not an obsession with error, but the protection of faith.
This distinction matters deeply.
What Does “Contend for the Faith” Actually Mean?
The word contend can sound aggressive if we are not careful. Jude is not calling believers into constant debate or spiritual combat.
So what does it actually mean?
Contending does not mean:
Arguing on the internet.
Policing other people’s faith.
Becoming harsh, prideful, or reactive.
Living in constant suspicion.
Contending does mean:
Knowing what you believe and why.
Refusing shallow or borrowed theology.
Actively guarding truth in your own life.
Loving truth enough to protect it.
Contending is not loud. It is rooted.
It is not about being combative. It is about being anchored.
Jude’s call is not to fight harder, but to grow deeper.
Not Just Another Cute Journal Season
As I studied Jude, I felt this clearly:
This is not just another cute journal season.
There is nothing wrong with beautiful journals, highlighters, or quiet mornings with coffee. I wrote notes for this very post in one.
Those rhythms matter, and they can be meaningful.
But aesthetics cannot replace discernment.
And a verse in our bio is not enough to sustain a tested faith.
This feels like a season to get in the mud.
A season to leave behind fluffy entries and instead write deep, rich, searching notes.
The kind that wrestle with the text.
The kind that slows down and asks hard questions.
The type that studies Scripture in context rather than skimming it for comfort.
Faith isn’t something we merely consume; it’s something we are to be formed by.
Surface-level faith leaves us vulnerable. It confuses familiarity with maturity.
This happens when:
Scripture gets reduced to bite-sized verses without context.
Teaching centers self instead of Christ.
Grace is emphasized without repentance.
Spiritual language exists without spiritual fruit.
This is not about abandoning beauty or reflection.
It is about refusing to stay shallow when the moment requires depth.
Jude’s Call to Action
Jude does not just warn. He equips.
He does not leave believers anxious. He leaves them anchored.
After bringing awareness, Jude turns our attention inward and upward.
“But you, beloved,” he writes, “building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life” (Jude 1:20–21).
Then Jude addresses how believers engage others with discernment and care.
“And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh” (Jude 1:22–23).
Jude does not call believers to casual tolerance, nor to harsh confrontation.
He acknowledges that some are vulnerable, some are in real danger, and some require careful boundaries.
The instruction is not to ignore corruption, but to engage with wisdom, humility, and reverence for holiness.
Protection comes not through confrontation, but through closeness with God.
New Year, New Depth
As we dive into a new year, Jude reframes the question for us.
It is not simply, “How inspired do I feel?”
It is, “Am I rooted enough to recognize truth and when it is being distorted?”
Faith worth receiving is faith worth protecting. And Jude reminds us that protection begins not with shouting, but with depth.
In the next post, we will get practical.
We will walk through what it looks like to live out Jude’s instructions in everyday life, growing in discernment without fear, and depth without hardness, anchored fully in Christ.
In the meantime, if you’re sensing that God is inviting you into deeper formation, you may want to read Rooting Season: Grow Deeper Before You Grow Higher, where I reflect on the hidden work God does before He ever calls us outward.
