Skip to main content

Called and Kept

                 When reading scripture, it is tempting to overlook the introduction to the various letters so that one gets to the body of the letter more quickly.  Much of the time, though, that is a mistake as the introduction often contains interesting words or phrases that set the tone for the rest of the letter.

                One such case is the introduction to the tiny letter of Jude.  It says, “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, to those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept in Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance” (verses 1-2).  While we could focus on several words here, I want us to think about two in particular; Called and Kept.

                Called means that God is offering us an invitation.  We are being called into the new life and new hope that he has for us.  Called means that we are valuable to God, that he loves us and has a plan for us.  We are called for a purpose.  We are here to do something.  God wants to work in us and through us to do good and show his love wherever we go.  When I remember that I am called, then I live differently.  Faith is not about being saved and then waiting for Jesus to return.  Rather, we are here to be useful to God.  You may remember that in Jesus’ parable of the talents, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” was said to those who did something useful with what was entrusted to them (Matthew 25:14-30).

                Once we understand that we are called, then the work “kept” becomes much more important.  Kept means that God watches over us and provides what we need.  Kept reminds us that we are not in charge.  Rather, we are being guided and have God’s help to do whatever needs to be done.  When we remember that we are kept by God, then we do his work in a better way.  We pray and trust more.  We worry less.  That we are “Kept in Christ” also reminds us that this world is not to be our main focus and that our eternal home is coming.

                Do not skip the words called and kept.  Those two small words say a lot.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    
Post a Comment
Read more

New Article: A Path Worth Following

  Jehoram was a terrible king.  He reigned in Judah around the year 850 B.C. and he did not care about God or his people.  His first act as king was to assassinate his six brothers so that no one could challenge his authority.  He was brutal and selfish.   Therefore, when the Bible sums up his life, it says, “Jehoram… passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David” (2 Chronicles 21:20).  Did you catch that?  “To no one’s regret!”  What a terrible phrase for your tombstone. On the other hand, consider a lady named Tabitha.  She lived in the city of Joppa in the first century A.D. and we are told, “… she was always doing good and helping the poor” (Acts 9:36).  She became sick and died.  This caused the community so much grief that they called Peter, who was in the nearby town of Lydda, to come and help them.  When Peter arrived, a crowd gathered, bringing all the robes and other clothing that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This: Twenty-three Descriptions of God (Psalm 145)

  Let’s play a quick game.  Take 10 seconds and list 5 or 6 words to describe God.  Got your words?  Good!   Here comes the game part.  I will list twenty-three ways that David describes God in Psalm 145, and we will see how many of his words match yours.   David says that God is, the king, great, majestic, wonderful, powerful, awesome, abundant in goodness, righteous, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, rich in love, good to all, glorious, mighty, trustworthy, faithful, supporting, generous, providing, near, saving and watching.     How did you do? This is not a useless exercise.  The words we use to describe God not only indicate something about how we see him, but they also influence how we interact with him.  For example, if I know that God is “Gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (verse 8), I will not fear him, and I will not assume that he is against me.  When I remember that...
Post a Comment
Read more