Recently, I shared a beautiful portrait of believers from the Epistle of Jude. (If you would like to read it, it is entitled “Jude’s Message to Believers” in this same devotional webpage.) Today, I would like to show you another beautiful nugget from the book of Jude. Considering all the encouragement Jude gives to believers, and also the words of warning regarding false teachers who creep into the believers’ circles, as well as the trials and temptations each of us face in our journey to God, Jude closed his letter to the saints with a magnificent promise, an anchor of hope that we can cling to in our daily lives and a glorious hope for the future.
When you encounter some of the hinderances Jude predicted would come your way, have you ever been discouraged in your faith walk and perhaps even questioned if you are still saved? I think we all have at one time or another! And though it is easy to sin or to give into temptation, it is not so easy to get away from the Lord’s hand of direction. He has a way of nudging us back into the right path when we stray too far and get off track. So don’t worry about losing your salvation…it would take a determined and willful effort to leave His loving arms and turn your back on Him.
Here’s the nugget for you from Jude 24-25…
“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.”
Yes, despite all the enemy’s efforts to thwart your spiritual growth, Yeshua is able to hold you, to guard you from falling away or losing your faith. And He will exceedingly joyfully present you without faults to His Father in Heaven one day! He is so very proud of you and especially fond of you because you are His precious child. His atoning blood covers all your flaws and blemishes and stains. You can be confident in His love. You are accepted. You have been chosen. You are loved with an everlasting love.
Can you imagine our Savior busting every one of His buttons (if He has any buttons on His glorious raiment) with joy and pride to introduce you, His treasured child, to His Heavenly Father? It is like the thrill a groom feels seeing his bride in all her beauty and glorious gown reach out to join hands with him at the wedding altar before the awaiting minister. As she has prepared herself in every fashion to receive her husband, his heart leaps within him to take her to himself forever. That is the exceeding joy that Jude is talking about our Lord having when He presents us, His cherished bride, before God His Father.
You can trust Yeshua! He is working in you to perfect you, to prepare you, to adorn you in His grace and splendor to be presented to God one day soon! He is wise and powerful and knows how to bring out the best in you. Give glory to God who knew you before all time and yearned for you to know Him and be with Him forever and ever! And He has made that way possible through Yeshua our Savior.
Isn’t that a rich nugget?!? May you have a wonderful day filled with the exceedingly joyful knowledge that Yeshua is holding you tightly in His loving embrace. Amen and Amen!
–dmrf