He is Able

"But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Spirit. ...To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy--to the only God our Savior be glory..." Jude 1:20, 24

Jude's brief letter is a strong warning to Christians who live in a corrupted world surrounded by corrupted people (some even pretending to be religious). Isn't that an apt description of our world? They key issue is "How do we stay faithful and pure in a world like this?"

Jude's answer as reflected in the above verses is two sided. One side of the equation in our struggle to remain faithful is our own effort in building a strong relationship with God. Jude says, "Build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Spirit." Through keeping ourselves anchored in truth through Scripture and connected with God through prayer we are helped to stand firm.

The other side of the equation is God's gracious and powerful work on our behalf. He is the one "who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy." Praise the Lord!!! Our ultimate safe passage through this corrupted world depends not as much on our doing as on His. Yes we are to work at it but we must above all trust in His work. In cooperation with Him we'll arrive safely home.

Father, I thank you for Your amazing grace and power that keeps me safe in this sin corrupted world. As I seek to build up my own spiritual strength help me above all to trust in Your gracious work to keep me safe and strong day by day.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark