This morning I prayed to God
and asked Him which book to read and write from, now that I have finished going through the Book of Genesis. He sent me to Jude. Jude is not a book I normally read. Jude is not a book I normally see. But I know I am about to. Jude, like all the letters in the scripture starts with an identification and a greeting. Jude writes, “Jude, servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.” Jude 1:1-2 First and foremost - Jude identified himself as a servant of Jesus Christ, and then he said he was the brother of James. Jude chose to address his connection and function with Jesus before identifying himself as the brother of James. Can you imagine what would happen if we all started our greetings the same way? There would be no confusion about who is and who is not a true child of God. Those who were connected to the Vine would be proud to say they are part of the Family Line. Every exchange from God’s children would be prophesied. Every exchange would be God's children sharing the written and now given Word of God. Those who have been called and chosen would be identifying themselves as servants of Jesus, the Most High King. The Kingdom of God would be instantly brought down. Every child of God would be proclaiming His Great Name! After Jude identified himself as a servant of Christ, he declared who he was writing to - “To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.” Jude 1:1-2 Because there are many qualifiers Jude states to be a part of the audience, we have to break this down. The people who will understand Jude’s letter, and thus understand this poem are the same. The Spirit of the Writer and the Spirit of the Reader has to be the same. The first condition of understanding scripture is to be “called.” The second condition is to be loved - “in God the Father" not outside. The last condition is to be “Kept by Jesus” - do you know what that means? Let's dig in and see. Condition #1 is “to be called.” According to scripture, to be called simply means to be named. Some respond and some do not. We all have free will. Do you remember how God created everything? He thought it. He spoke it and He gave it a name. This is how He created everything - all things seen and unseen. He proclaimed! Paul said, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,” Romans 1:20 So, the answer is we are all called. So if God has called all creation, then why do some turn away? In Matthew 22:14 Jesus said, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” so what do you think he means? Well, it appears to me that “called” and “chosen” are two different things. To be called is just the beginning. Honestly, it reminds me of show The Voice on T.V. You see, many people can sing. Many people come from distant lands, and go to LA to audition and be judged - and most are turned away. But a few make it through and are invited in to participate. “For many are called but few are chosen” to engage. To be chosen means to meet the conditions set by God. Which brings me to condition #2: “To be loved IN God the Father” (not outside). I believe this means to be sanctified - “to be set apart as a vessel for the Lord” to be used for God’s good works. And this can only be done if we lay down our life and abide. To abide means to remain as One, fully connected to God - not just externally but deep inside. And this brings me to condition #3: to be kept by Jesus - what do you think that mean? Well - Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” John 15:1-4 You see, those who are called, AND chosen are set apart to abide. And those who abide are under God's authority to administer His Will upon the earth. Listen - God’s first commandment to mankind was not written in stone and given to Moses. God’s first commandment was given to Adam in the Garden of Eden as it is written in the Book of Genesis. I encourage you to go back and read it. After God formed the first man from the dust of the earth and gave him life by putting His Spirit inside, He put the man inside the garden of His heart. The man abided in God’s special garden, the Garden of His love. The scripture says, “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:15-17 The first commandment was intimately connected to man abiding in God. And in that garden God gave the man everything He could want. But there was one tree God chose to plant, that would provide a way for man to keep His Word. He gave choice. Freedom and Choice is the condition of truest form of love - it's not power and control and bondage as some think. A choice that would lead to life or to death - depending on the concept “remain in me.” Ultimately, it’s about our fidelity, the desire of our heart to love only God. “Remain in Me” is about wisdom and understanding, not according to the world or Satan, but of God. “Remain in Me” is about being kept. Kept for the glorification of God. We choose to keep God’s Word because we trust. “I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse; therefore, choose life so that you and your descendants may live.” Deuteronomy 30:19 Jesus said to his disciples, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, if not by Me.” John 14:6 Those who keep God’s Word are called, chosen and sanctified - kept holy to abide with God. Children of God can not do this on our own. We fail - because we live in a body and a world full of sin. But we have God’s Word. He came down from from Heaven to shed His blood - to be a final sacrifice for those who are lost and without hope. You see, Jesus is the manifestation of God’s endless love. His Word came alive to give those who love God new life - and we have the chance to live. “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 Oh, how I am going to love reading and writing and hearing and seeing from God in the Book of Jude! This has been so good.
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