Stay in love with Jesus

The final part of John Wesley's rule of life is summed up as: "Stay in love with God (Jesus)."

There is a simplicity in Wesley's rule that should make our faith easier to practice, but anyone who has been a believer for years will tell you that it has difficult moments. Kindling our relationship with Jesus is such an important part of being a Christ-follower - we surely can't be effective disciples if we aren't willing to nurture this love.  

I would argue that the first two actions of the Rule of Life (Do no harm and do good), should hopefully flow from our relationship with God.

Jude 1:21- "...keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life."

Reflection: What do you do in order to stay in love with Christ?  What have you found helpful in this regard? 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Rescued for a purpose

"So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful." - Jude 1:5

I find this verse quite hard to fathom in some ways - it leaves me feeling a little uneasy. It could give the notion of God as a revengeful tyrant, who delights in squashing his subjects. However, I believe it is good to read it with the background understanding of God's great compassion and mercy. 

It is true that the Lord rescued the Israelites from Egypt and later he condemned the disobedient to death, but it was because they chose to turn their backs on the Lord. All the promises the people made were broken through their own disobedience and this left the Lord with very little choice, but to discipline that generation. Jude is remind the people of how the old Covenant relationship was all about promises and consequences. 

Thankfully, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ has now atoned for our sins and we can turn to Jesus as our Rescuer and Saviour. For all who receive this gift, we are given a renewed hope and opportunity to show our allegiance to God. 

For this reason, I believe we need to honour the second chance we have all been given.

Living in Grace

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Fight with everything

"Dear friends, I’ve dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation that we have in common. I have to write insisting—begging!—that you fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish." - Jude 1:3 (The Message)

Living as Christ-followers is becoming more and more complicated. We are definitely moving into a time where we will need to 'content' more for our faith. Of course, this doesn't mean that we have to attack people, but rather be willing to stand up for what we believe in and to 'guard' the gift we have been given.

What does this verse mean for you in this time of your life?

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." - Winston Churchill

Living in Grace

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More and more

"I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, 

who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ.
May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love." - Jude 1:1

Sometimes when I begin to write a letter, or even a blog post, I wrestle with how to start. What opening sentence would get the letter going, or convey the right tone of the contents. As I read through the letter of Jude I am struck by how he gets it spot on. Just the very thought of someone asking God to bless you with "more and more" of something amazing - that gets my attention. In this instance, Jude asks that God would give us more:

Mercy

Peace 

Love

I can live wit that!

May you receive some of God's mercy, peace and love today. And once you have recognised those gifts, may God give you more and more!

"When you wish someone joy, you wish them peace, love, prosperity, happiness... all the good things." - Maya Angelou

Living in Grace

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Love is on the way

When Jude wrote his letter to the church to offer them words of encouragement he said this:

".....writing to those loved by God the Father, called and kept safe by Jesus Christ. Relax, everything’s going to be all right; rest, everything’s coming together; open your hearts, love is on the way!" - (The Message)

I really enjoy that phrase - love us on the way!
It reminds me of Jesus and how he is always right beside us and how he will give us the strength we need.

Living in Grace
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On our Doubts

“A faith without some doubts is like a human body with no antibodies in it. People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask the hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy or the probing questions of a smart skeptic. A person's faith can collapse almost overnight if she failed over the years to listen patiently to her own doubts, which should only be discarded after long reflection.”
― Tim Keller 

 

Jude 1:22 - Be merciful to those who doubt;

 

May our doubts lead us to a deeper and more genuine faith.

 

Keep walking in the ways of Christ and may he show you his path. 

 

Living in Grace

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God is Able

"Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault." - Jude 1:24

God is ... ABLE to do more than we could ever dream of or even imagine. God is miraculous, generous, powerful and yet gracious. In this season of Advent, let us not forget that the God we worship is Able to confound all human logic.

Daniel 3:17 - If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.

Romans 4:21 -  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.

Living in Grace
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Does God have Boundaries?

²¹ Stay always within the boundaries where God’s love can reach and bless you. Wait patiently for the eternal life that our Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy is going to give you. ²² Try to help those who argue against you. Be merciful to those who doubt." - Jude 21-22 

This verse from Jude seems to suggest that God has some kind of boundary. Or at least in Jude's mind, God wants us to remain within his touching distance. I guess this is not so that he can control us, but rather that he can protect us. As Jude says, "where God's love can reach and bless you."

If we intentionally choose to move away from God's grace, then we remove ourselves from his blessing and love. This illustration does concern me a little, as I would hope that no one is ever out of God's reach and how far does someone have to go in order to be removed from God's love? 

I pray that God's mercy would find us, even if we have walked outside of his boundaries. Sure, I understand that there will come a time when God's justice needs to be measured out, but up until that time, could God's hand still reach out to those far away? I hope so.

Living in Grace
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Hey Jude

I love the opening words of Jude's letter. This is such a brilliant prayer and hope for other people.

¹ From: Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and a brother of James.

To: Christians everywhere—beloved of God and chosen by him. ² May you be given more and more of God’s kindness, peace, and love." - Jude 1:1-2

It takes an unselfish person to pray for blessings for others. In this verse, Jude asks that his friends would be given more of God's kindness, peace and love. What a lovely thought! 

If you could pray a prayer for your friends, what would you ask for?

Why don't you pray that prayer now?

Living in Grace
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God won't let you slip

In a world where people push to get ahead of everyone else, even if it means stepping all over each other, it is nice to be reminded that God doesn't want us to stumble. God is the one who wants to stop us from slipping/stumbling and he wants us to finish the race we have started. It is Good News that God has our back and that God encourages us to persevere in our faith.

^"To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." - Jude 24-25

May we walk securely today, knowing that God delights in helping us along the way.

Living in Grace
D3LM3