v. 20 – But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,

Devotional:

“You are saved by grace through faith, it is a gift from God, it is not of works so that no one can boast.” – Ephesians 2:8

Faith is a gift from God. To be able to believe in Jesus Christ, and by that faith be credited His perfect righteousness, is a gift like no other. This most holy faith we have been given is signed in blood from Calvary’s cross and sealed by the Holy Spirit who is working to bring about faith’s full measure in our lives as He leads us toward glorification. The sweetest truth that is often hard to believe is that this redeeming faith is something completely done to us and for us and we didn’t so much as lift a finger in the direction of earning it or securing it for ourselves. Accordingly, when Jude says “build yourself up on your most holy faith” he doesn’t mean work harder to secure your faith. I believe he means you are to remind yourself over and over and over again of the glorious news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ because in doing so you will build up your faith on the foundations of faith.

If (when) marriage strife arises and hope for its future seems to fail, remind yourself of the fact that if the tomb of Jesus Christ is empty and death has been defeated anything is possible.

If self-hatred and or insecurities dominate your thoughts and you find it hard to rise from your bed, be reminded today that Jesus loves you so much just the way you are and that He volunteered to be beaten and murdered in your place so you would never have to taste the bitterness of death.

If your apathy has brought you to a place of total indifference in your life, relationships are hard, and you lack motivation, I have something you need to hear. The empire of Satan and his hordes of demons would seek to keep you living a life of purposeless wandering through Netflix and Instagram to pass the time are defeated and the King of all Kings has a mission for you. His mission is a glorious one whereby you get to participate in the eternal redemption of souls. There is nothing more important to define you and no one better suited to be who God created you to be than you.

Jude again uses the word ‘beloved’ and he does so right before He says we are to build up our faith. Something I need to hear over and over again in my life is the truth that because of Jesus Christ I am one of God’s beloved children. He has given me a seat at the table in the family of God. When I was a young man and Christian, I was taught about my role in God’s kingdom as a tool in the hand of God for Him to use however He saw fit.

As I have matured in my life, that image is something God has gently corrected in me over time. He has revealed to me through the Gospel that I am not primarily a tool in the hand of God,
but I am primarily a son in the family of God. I have found these are pretty different ways to look at who I am as a child of God. When I see myself primarily as a tool, I bend toward works- based righteousness that is very focused on what I am doing for God. This faulty thinking can easily lead me to a place where I begin to question if I am doing enough or the right kinds of things which leads me to a lot of second-guessing and doubt. However, when I trust that I am a son of God that is counted righteous not by my works but by the works of my superior older brother Jesus, the pressure to perform is off and I am able to live my life like it is a gift that has been given me for me to enjoy, which it is.

REFLECTION:

How has the enemy used relational strife, self-hatred, insecurity, or apathy as tools against your faith? In what ways do you need to “build yourself up in the most holy faith” this week?