"Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ..."
Jude 1 (ESV)
Jude 1 (ESV)
Usually when we read Bible book introductions we skip past the preliminaries. After all, the author wrote the letter for a purpose, and we want to jump down to the "real" message. Sadly, we often miss precious gems of biblical truth when we ignore the opening words.
At the very beginning, Jude indicates that he is--above all--a servant of Jesus. Jesus is his Lord, Master, and Savior. How many of us actually live this out in our daily lives? A slave, by definition, lives every moment of his life for his master's pleasure. Whether waking or sleeping, a servant exists for one purpose: to make his master happy. For Jude, every moment of his day was filled with the desire to make Jesus smile. Think about what you were doing 10 minutes ago: would your actions or thoughts at that time bring a smile to your Savior's face?
Jude goes on to define believers as those who are being "kept by Jesus". So often we have a desire to move "past" the good news of Jesus Christ. We think of the gospel as something we do to "get saved", and then we move on to bible study in order to "grow" in our faith. Jude shows us that this thinking is utter nonsense. We never get past the gospel. The gospel saves us, sustains us, develops us, guides us, and ultimately we usher us into the very presence of God. Like a little child, we constantly need to hold Jesus' hand if we are to progress.
Today, serve your master and never let go of his merciful hand.
At the very beginning, Jude indicates that he is--above all--a servant of Jesus. Jesus is his Lord, Master, and Savior. How many of us actually live this out in our daily lives? A slave, by definition, lives every moment of his life for his master's pleasure. Whether waking or sleeping, a servant exists for one purpose: to make his master happy. For Jude, every moment of his day was filled with the desire to make Jesus smile. Think about what you were doing 10 minutes ago: would your actions or thoughts at that time bring a smile to your Savior's face?
Jude goes on to define believers as those who are being "kept by Jesus". So often we have a desire to move "past" the good news of Jesus Christ. We think of the gospel as something we do to "get saved", and then we move on to bible study in order to "grow" in our faith. Jude shows us that this thinking is utter nonsense. We never get past the gospel. The gospel saves us, sustains us, develops us, guides us, and ultimately we usher us into the very presence of God. Like a little child, we constantly need to hold Jesus' hand if we are to progress.
Today, serve your master and never let go of his merciful hand.
Prayer
Merciful Father,
Thank you for the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Keep me in his hands, and grant me the faith
never to let go. May I please my Lord on this day.
Amen.
Merciful Father,
Thank you for the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Keep me in his hands, and grant me the faith
never to let go. May I please my Lord on this day.
Amen.
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