A Little Meditation on Jude

 

 

“Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:1).

 

A few days ago I read the above verse and I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind, and as I write these words I ask, “And why should I?” I intended to read all of Jude that morning, but I couldn’t get beyond this first verse.

 

O the blessedness to know that we are “called,” “beloved,” and “kept.” But do we know this? Do we really know this?

 

Vickie loves to bake and cook, and I’ll often notice that there are pages on the printer that need to go to Vickie; they are recipes she’s seen online which she has printed out, waiting for the best time to use them; she has a number of binders on a bookshelf in which she organizes recipes (I haven’t been able to convince her that she can do this electronically, but then, while I do read books electronically, most of my books need to be held in my hands).

 

I suppose the first verse of Jude has been like one of Vickie’s recipes, I’ve kept it in my heart, meditating on it, rejoicing in it, but not serving it to others…not yet…not until now.

 

It seems to me that we have two dangerous propensities, and both are forms of denying Jesus Christ; one is to forget who He is in us and who we are in Him – buying into messages of condemnation which beat us down; the other is legalism and works – righteousness, the idea that our own efforts and works are critical for our Christian life…the idea that “we can do it,” that we can live this thing called “the Christian life.” Yes, yes, I’ll acknowledge the other dangerous propensity to buy into a gospel (which is not the Gospel) that we need not repent, that we need not live in obedience to Jesus Christ, that God is our servant to give us all the American Dream. Yes, I’ll acknowledge that we have other destructive and Gospel – smothering propensities, but allow me to continue with this little gem of a verse in Jude.

 

In Christ, we are called, we are beloved, and we are kept. This means that in Christ you are called, you are beloved, and you are kept. May I please ask you to pause and consider what God’s Word tells you about us, what God tells you about you in Christ. You are called, you are beloved, and dear dear friend, you are kept (See Psalm 121 for a wonderful portrayal of being kept by God, and please note that the world “keep” is used in verses 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8; many English translations insist on synonyms for the purpose of English style (in this case not repeating a word), but I am of a mind that God’s style should take precedence over our style.)

 

When you awoke this morning, did you do so in the consciousness that you are called, you are beloved, you are kept?

 

Note the sequencing of these words; called, beloved, and kept.

 

In Hebrews 12:2 the author pictures Jesus as, “the Author and Finisher of our faith,” this is why we should be “fixing our eyes on Jesus” for He is the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and Omega – He begins a New Creation in us and He completes a New Creation in us, in me and in you and in us (for we are not new creations in and of ourselves, we not islands, we are not a dismembered body – we are the very Body of Jesus Christ).

 

Jesus calls us and Jesus keeps us, and He does this because the Father and Jesus love us. Here is how I will write your biography:

 

“Bill was called by God, beloved by God, and kept by God.”

 

“Susan was called, Susan was beloved by the Father, Susan was kept for Jesus Christ.”

 

Now since there are more of you than there are of me, rather than wait for me to write your biography, why don’t you write your autobiography? Here is how it might go:

 

“I am called, I am beloved in God the Father, I am kept for Jesus Christ.”

 

Have you noticed that you have been acted upon by God and that you have done nothing yourself? You have not acted upon God but God has acted upon you; you have not initiated a relationship with God but God has initiated a relationship with you. There is nothing here about you loving God (though that is the Great Commandment!), but we do see God loving you. There is nothing here about keeping yourself, but we do see God keeping you. (Yes, yes, we see varying facets of our relationship with the Trinity in the Bible from different perspectives, but I think that Jude captures bedrock, just as Psalm 121, we are utterly dependent upon the Person of God and the Work of God and the Word of God – everything and anything that is fruitful between the Beginning and the End comes from God in Christ (John 15:4 – 5).

 

May I ask you to please consider living today in the awareness that you have been called, that you are beloved in God the Father, and that you are kept for Jesus Christ?

 

Do you know someone who would be encouraged by what God says through Jude?