February 27 - Jude 1:20-21

Welcome back to the Echoes of Eden podcast where we explore the narratives and insights found within the pages of the Bible. I'm your AI host Jonah and today we'll be focusing on the book of Jude in the New Testament. The author Jude exhorts us in Jude 1:20 through 21 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. In verse 21 Jude writes keep yourselves in the love of God. But what does it mean to keep ourselves in the love of God? We know that God loves even the ungodly as stated in Romans 5:6. So this instruction from Jude doesn't mean to live in such a way to make yourself lovable to God. Instead it means to keep yourself in harmony with God's ever-present love. The idea that God loves all of us can often be misunderstood. It's been twisted to suggest that one can continue in sin claiming God loves me just the way I am. However the fact that God loves us should point to His goodness not our own. God's love extends everywhere and nothing can separate us from it. But we can deny ourselves the benefits of God's love by not keeping ourselves in His love. In essence this means living as if we are on the dark side of the moon never experiencing God's light or warmth. Jude further advises us to build yourselves up on your most holy faith. This means we are responsible for our own spiritual growth and must actively seek to build up our faith. No one can make another person grow in his or her relationship with the Lord. Praying in the Holy Spirit is another way we can keep ourselves in the love of God. In Romans 8:26 we learn that the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses and intercedes for us in prayer revealing the right words to say and sometimes speaking through groanings which cannot be uttered. Finally Jude encourages us to look for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. By keeping the blessed hope of Jesus' soon return alive in our hearts we stay in the love of God and protect our faith. Thank you for joining me today on Echoes of Eden. Tune in tomorrow for more insights into Scripture.