Keep Yourselves In The Love Of God

Jude 1:20-25, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”

I love that phrase in Jude 21a, “Keep yourselves in the love of God...” What a great  motto to live by: KEEP YOURSELVES IN THE LOVE OF GOD!!! I want to love people more and more as I grow older. We hear so much terrible stories in the news about people hurting people. My Christian father used to rightly say: “People can become real monsters without Jesus Christ.” Dad was so right! I am so glad to be a born-again Christian, and I desire to please God by letting Him unconditionally loving people through me.

One of the biggest sad stories in recent news, is the horrific murders of four University Of Idaho college students on November 13, 2022, allegedly by Bryan Kohberger. Kohberger's DNA was found on the release buckle of the knife sheath left at the scene of the crime, which is damning evidence against him. Cellphone records show Brian's cellphone at the location of the student's housing, a dozen times in the five months preceding the murders. Since this housing unit is not located near a main road, but rather in a remote area rarely visited except by residents who live there, this is also damning evidence against Bryan, who is 28 years old.

I am fully convinced that Kohberger will be found guilty of all four murders. The evidence speaks for itself. I think any jury based upon existing reasonable doubt would find Bryan guilty. This tragic event is heartbreaking. Why would someone do such an evil thing? The Biblical answer is that humanity is wicked by nature. Let me quote from Romans chapter three...

Romans 3:10-20, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

Having quoted the inspired Holy Bible to you, I do think that most people are generally good. Although that seems like a major contradiction from Romans 3:10-20 that we just read, as with all truths there is a balance. Pastor Jack Hyles used to rightly say that anybody is capable of committing any sin under the right circumstances. Dr. Hyles is absolutely correct. One of my favorite quotes by Brother Hyles is...

“If you want to never do anything that is terribly wicked, then you never do anything that is slightly wicked.” —Pastor Jack Hyles, "Unjust In The Least"

We are all sinners. I say that there are good sinners and bad sinners, but we are all sinners. As humans we tend to classify sins. Most people dismiss horrible sins such as gossip, drunkenness, hatred, lust, lying and fornicating as minor sins. These alleged “minor sins” (or “Venial Sins” in Roman Catholicism) are commonly tolerated as the norm in society. However, it is these so-called minor sins which often lead to major sins; such as, assault, adultery, murder, et cetera. The wise saint eschews all sins as being wicked. All sins are black, evil and horrible! There is no such thing as a “white sin.” All sins are serious and offensive to God.

If we are not careful as God's children, we can become to hateful toward sin, that we begin to hate the sinner. We should never accept the sin with the sinner, nor reject the sinner with the sin. This is part of keeping one's self in the love of God. Jude 1:21, “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”

The reason why some people commit unimageable crimes is because they lack God's love. God's love they nailed Jesus to the cross is UNCONDITIONAL love. God's love is unconditional. You don't deserve it. You don't earn it. You cannot qualify for it. ...

Romans 5:6-9, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

God is love. Those of God's children who humbly walk with Him, will be encompassed with God's love toward others. Jude 1:21, “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” We have a choice as believers. We can either choose to walk in the Spirit (spiritually minded), or we can choose to walk in the flesh (carnally minded). The Christian life is no accident. No one walks with God by chance, but because we deliberately choose to spend time fellowshipping with our great God. James 4:8-9, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.”

I have met so many carnal pastors, like Jeff Redlin at Pensacola Christian College (PCC). They have no love or compassion toward hurting people at PCC. When I kindly told Pastor Redlin at the 4th of July picnic in 2021 that I was homeless, sleeping in Walmart's parking lot, he just cold-heartedly walked away from me. Redlin couldn't have cared less, while he slept in his big warm bed in his extravagant home. Where dwelleth the love of God. There is no love of God shed abroad in their hearts at PCC. Individual people do not matter at PCC, the cult system always comes first. I speak that to their utter SHAME in the PCC camp.

 

Dear reader, I encourage you to: KEEP YOURSELVES IN THE LOVE OF GOD!!! There are people all around us that feel unloved and unwanted by this cruel, uncaring and senseless world of sin. Thank God for the few Christians in this world who know, love and walk with God. You can identify them by their unconditional love for other people. Dear reader: KEEP YOURSELVES IN THE LOVE OF GOD!!!