Jude 1:20-21 (NKJV) 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Keep yourselves in the love of God.
Did you know that we are required to “keep ourselves” in the love of God? Many people might not think of this, mainly because there is so much teaching on God’s unconditional love. And while God does love us unconditionally, what Jude was referring to here is a bit different.
God loves us unconditionally, as we are. He sees us through the cross, not as the vile sinners that we are.
But what Jude was referring to here is how we, as followers of Christ, must keep ourselves close to God. He instructs us to build ourselves up in our faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, keep ourselves in the love of God and look for (trust in) the mercy of Jesus Christ as the vehicle for our salvation.
You see, it’s not that we must work to keep God’s love, but we must work to keep our love for God growing inside of us, so as not to let it fade away or die off.
There are so, so many things that can pull on us, moving us slowly away from God. And if we’re not careful, we will grow away from Him before we even know it’s happening.
We need to be diligent and keep our discernment razor-sharp so that this won’t happen to us.
Remember, God’s word says that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. Our relationship with Him requires effort, and we will get out what we put in.
Press into Him.
We love you all.
Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808
401-315-0902
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