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"But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."
(Jude 20-21)
This week we will explore Jude 20-25; it is a powerful text with much to teach us about God and how we are to mature in our relationship with Jesus. God is so kind to help and aid us to grow in Him. God is able. We have noticed in our devotions over the last several weeks that God is able to deliver, cause all grace to abound toward us, able to do exceedingly abundantly above, able to keep what we have committed to Him, able to aid us in our time of temptation, able to save to the uttermost, and this week, we will examine how our great God is also able to keep us from stumbling.
Jude was the half-brother of Jesus Christ and the brother of James. James was the pastor of the church in Jerusalem. Jude also rose to a prominent place of leadership in the church in Jerusalem. These two brothers served leading roles in one church, the Church in Jerusalem. I know of many churches that have family members serving on the same staff. We do at our church, and it has worked out very well for us. It is not nepotism unless you show favoritism!
We each have a part to play in our own growth as a Christian. In verse 20, Jude closes his epistle with the word "but", a word of contrast to what he has just written. Verse 19 states, "These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit." Then he refers to true followers of Jesus as beloved, a term of endearment and compliment.
He instructs those in the church at Jerusalem and the Church of Jesus Christ in every generation to build yourself up on your faith. Salvation is a gift from God that we cannot earn, only receive. Our sanctification, however, is different. We have an active role in the sanctification process, in our growth in Christ. We cannot grow simply by expecting everyone else to provide for us and feed us. No, we must feed ourselves; we must build ourselves up in our faith. Regular Bible intake, prayer, and meditation and reflection on the Gospel will help us build up our faith. Next, Jude tells us one of the ways to do this is by "praying in the Spirit." Paul writes in Ephesians 6:18, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints."
To pray in the Spirit is biblical, practical, and helpful. One commentary reads, "Praying in the Spirit means we will pray for God's will to be done, not our will." (Shaddix, J., & Akin, D. L. (2018). Exalting Jesus in 2 Peter, Jude (Jud 17–25). Holman Reference.) It is an attitude of our heart where we listen to the Spirit and put ourselves in this spiritual posture of prayer. In Jude 21, the word translated "keep" is in the imperative mood and means to hold fast and watch. Another practical way we can keep ourselves in God's love is by looking for the return of Jesus where we will receive mercy unto eternal life.
How well are you keeping yourself in the love of God? Let me encourage you to follow Jude's advice and pray in the Holy Spirit and keep looking up for our Lord's return.
One of the ways I like to keep myself in the love of God is reminding myself just how much God loves me. One of my favorite Christian artists is Seph Schlueter. His song "You Won't Start Now" is a blessing. Here are some of the lyrics:
"You've never left me in the cold, never hurt or let me go, You never have before. And You won't start now, You won't start now. I know I won't be on my own whatever comes, You've never let me walk alone not even once, and You won't start now."
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