You have a calling

"Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James. To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ. 2 Mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you."                                                                    Jude 1-2  CSB 

It's easy to understand that pastors, evangelists and other significant leaders are the people called by God. The truth is, if you are a Christian, you have been called as well. God has no favourites and all are equal in His sight and have a particular gifting which is a treasure to Him.

Jude was a brother of James and also half brother to Jesus. Initially, he was rather skeptical about the deity of Jesus but, as time went on, he was able to write that he was a bondservant of Jesus Christ. He made no mention of being related to Jesus, humbly preferring to give the glory to Jesus and honouring  his brother James. However, Jude was special in God's eyes and he wrote this piece of work or essay that is power-packed with advice and warning about church behaviour and false teachers.

If we are a believer, we are sanctified. This means we are set apart for sacred use and made or declared to be holy and devoted to a deity - Jesus Himself. Note also that Jude tells us we are preserved in Jesus Christ. The word 'preserved' means that we are carefully watched and protected. We are secure in Jesus, preserved for glory and in our daily walk with Jesus, kept from stumbling.

Because we are set apart and preserved, we are the recipients of God's choicest blessings: mercy, peace and love. Jude asks that this be multiplied to us, so we need to receive this. God in His mercy doesn't give us what we deserve. Instead, He gave our punishment to His own Son on the cross. We need to remember this - always.

Just think for a moment, God loves us enough to preserve us in His faithful love (Hesed). He offers us all mercy, peace and love - the complete bundle. He holds nothing back and neither should we. We have a calling and we need to ensure that we fulfil this calling to the letter. This is why we are carefully watched and protected. To Jesus, we are special!

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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