Experts say illicit drugs are devastating millions of lives each year. One young woman said she went from drinking beer, to snorting marijuana, to using cocaine, to heroine. She said each time she tried to stop, the craving in her body sent her back for more. People turn to drugs to fit in, to escape, to relax, to relieve boredom, to seem grown up, to rebel, to experiment. Sadly, our culture tends to glamorize unbridled freedom that says: “Just do it.” But it’s a slippery slope that ends in many personal tragedies and destroys a society. Undisciplined living was why Jesus’ brother Jude wrote an urgent letter to followers of Christ in his day. His initial plan was to write about an important biblical topic; but when he realized God’s people were going astray following false teachers that promoted unrestrained conduct, he changed his mind. He urged God’s people to live disciplined, Christ-centered lives. He closed his letter by telling them, “Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.” May we strive to please God and rescue others in our pleasure-seeking world.
