Session 5

Two ways to build your faith

From Jude: A 7-Day Devotional

Growing up, a lot of us played with building blocks. You could stack them one on top of the other to build a tower. Or, you could put them side by side to build a wall. You could use them to build a house or anything else you could imagine.

The blocks couldn’t do much on their own, but together they could make something great. The same is true for each of us. Living close to God and His people, we can accomplish more together than we could alone. At the end of Jude’s letter, he encourages us to build our faith through prayer and community (Jude 1:20-21).

Prayer is how we talk to God. As we communicate with God through prayer, we put our hope and trust in Him, and our relationship grows deeper.

Community is the relationships we make with other Christians. Community builds our faith by allowing us to encourage each other. Just rubbing sticks together can start a fire; when people get together in community they fan the fire of each others’ faith.

Following Jesus is a journey. Sometimes, we’re going to want to throw our hands up and quit. At other times, we’re going to be so excited we want to jump up and down and scream. That’s why it’s so important to persevere with the building blocks of prayer and community. Whether life is going great or not going at all, God has given us ways to draw strength from Him and from His people.

So don’t do life alone. Start building your faith today.

Reflect:

• What’s one way you’ve seen prayer build your faith? Is there anything you need to take to God in prayer today?
• Do you have a solid Christian community? Who do you turn to when you need help or want to celebrate?