Jude 20-21

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.

Jude 20-21

The Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:22 lists the fruits of the Spirit and the entry point of that list is love. All the rest falls on that foundation. In our verse today, Jude is encouraging us to keep building on our faith everyday. He acknowledges that this cannot be done without the help of the Holy Spirit but then, in agreement with Paul’s list of the gifts of the Spirit, Jude emphasized the importance of our love for God. This really simplifies things for me. I’m to lean into the Holy Spirit as a means to keep myself in the love of God.

And what should be the focus of our love? The incredible mercy we receive from our Lord Jesus Christ, through His sacrifice, that has afforded us eternal life. Just that fact should make our hearts melt with affection, adoration, and thanksgiving.

Keeping and being kept,

Pastor Gerard Deleeuw