Clouds without Rain

“They are clouds without rain” (Jude 12). Imagine a drought is ravaging your farm. Cracks big enough to put your hand in split the ground. Crops wither in the fields. But then you see it: Nice, dark clouds on the horizon. They come closer and closer… Could it be? Rain! But it doesn’t rain. The wind blows. It gets dark. But then it all blows over without a drop. What a disappointment. Clouds without rain!

That’s what every false teaching is—a cloud without rain. The devil makes sin look good. He makes evil look exactly like what we need. Here’s what that looked like in Jude’s day: “On the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings” (Jude 8). Sound familiar? Polluting their bodies? Rejecting authority? Sounds tempting, but it won’t deliver. Sin never does. As good as the devil makes sin look, it’s always clouds without rain.

But not Jesus. He doesn’t just promise. He delivers! He pours out his love and grace and forgiveness like a summer thunderstorm. He opens up the floodgates of heaven and gives eternal life and peace to all who trust in him. He wraps you in his arms and promises to never let you go. When life seems dry and dead, when you thirst for rain, don’t be fooled by clouds without rain. Come to Jesus, the living water!