You Are Called Beloved in God the Father [Jude]

1Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: 2May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you. 3Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.

 20But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.

24Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.


In this one letter from Jude, the brother of Jesus, he reminds God's people who they are in Christ, as well as appealing to them to "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints."  He also warns them about people who have crept in among them unnoticed, "ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." (v. 4)


Jude ends his letter with a reminder about what is important - "keep yourselves in the love of God."  How?  By remembering who you are (beloved in God), by "building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit."  That is possible because of God, "who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy."  We can honor Him by acknowledging who He is and what He is doing in our life.


We praise and give You glory (correct estimation) that You are the One who has called us and kept us for Jesus.  You alone are able to keep us from stumbling.  You alone can present us blameless before Christ. and through Christ. You deserve "glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."

Verna McCrillis, 10/1/2009