“But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” Jude 1:20-21
How much work does it take to keep yourself in your job? Or your family relationships? How much work does it take to keep yourself in a healthy lifestyle? We can agree that it all takes commitment and consistency. So, let’s think about how committed we are to our jobs, families, or health. Do we still make the effort despite how we feel?
If I’m honest there are some days where I do not want to give my best. There days when I’m struggling in my own relationship with God and I would rather phone it in as a pastor, and let the people deal with their own problems. When I am not feeling good, there is a temptation to slack off as a husband or dad. I love to work out, but it is easy to sleep in for a month and convince myself, “I will do it tomorrow morning.” But I know that I need to keep myself in these areas because other people are influenced by my consistency and commitment.
So, I push on and continue to find ways to grow, to motivate myself, and commit to these areas of my life. As a Christ follower, I also need to keep myself in the love of God. At times, I can feel that God does not love me. This happens when I give into temptation and when I feel my performance is lacking. However, one of the greatest realities of a relationship with God is that His love does not change. God’s love for me, and God’s love for you, was established, demonstrated, and sealed permanently with Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection. No matter what we do or how we feel, God loves us.
With the reality of God’s love as our foundation, what does it look like for us to keep ourselves in the love of God? God’s love will always be with us, but we must keep ourselves in it. One of the best resources is Scriptures. The Word of God has first-hand encounters preserved for us to show God’s love through His Son. When you take time to study the Bible, you see that Jesus met every single person with patience and took the time to reveal who He was. In the revelation of His character, people found themselves in the presence of love. So, why do we have this opportunity to read and hear about the love of Jesus? Because people thousands of years ago made the costly decision to keep themselves in the love of God and take that love to others.
But it does not stop with Scriptures. Church, worship, community, prayer, Bible studies, stillness, and so many other avenues are available to keep ourselves in the love of our caring Father. His love reminds us that we are His children, and He is our Father. When we live life with that relationship, we see the mercy of God, and know that His goodness and His mercy follow us all the days of our lives (Psalm 23:6). Are you keeping yourself in the love of God? If not, what is keeping you from this? Which of the avenues can you pursue more to keep yourself in His love?
Prayer: Father, thank you for the undeserved reality of Your love. Lord I know there is no greater power or force in this world that can compare to it. Help me to keep myself in it, by being committed and consistent in the relationship that You have given me by Your grace. May the resources You have given help me to lean into Your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
