Kept

When I spend time studying the Word of God, I tend to be drawn to passages in Scripture that are very practical; whether that be exhortations from the epistles, or commands from the Lord Jesus Himself-I like application, application pertaining to how to live a holy life (what to do). And, although application to my pursuit of holiness is a necessary and fruitful aspect of studying the Word of God, I often times neglect some pieces of Scripture that remind me of Gospel Truths. I forget to spend time meditating on the cross and the power of the Gospel and all that it means for me, a child of God. My work towards holiness sometimes becomes more of habit or have to rather than of love and get to. The Gospel, for the believer, is the precious Truth that must be meditated upon continually, lest we forget.

Psalm 46:10 is one of my favorite verses in all of Scripture- "BE STILL/CEASE STRIVING, and KNOW that I AM GOD!" This powerful sentence has ministered to me in the deepest of valleys and on the highest mountain peaks during my walk with the Lord. I have found a common theme in my life, no matter where I am...HE IS GOD, YOU ARE HIS, REST IN THAT. There is power in that reality. Knowing that the favor and love of God I experience was eternally mine through the work of Christ is incredible. Nothing I do, or don't do is going to increase or decrease the love I receive. The work He did on the cross, accomplished it all, it is finished. He chose me from before the foundation of time, He called me as I walked this life, and He will never let me go!

As I started thinking about this and spent time reflecting on the cross, I remembered a message I heard from C.J. Mahaney from the small book of Jude. In it he read the following:

"Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James,

To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by[a] Jesus Christ:

Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance

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, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." (Jude 1-2, 24-25)

His message? You WERE called, you ARE loved, and you WILL FOREVER BE kept by Christ. Reading this passage in Scripture brings so much joy and peace to my heart. HE called me, because HE loves me (not because of some amazing person I was or would be), because He saw me through Christ and the cross. And it is HIM, and HIM ALONE who will keep me from falling, from stumbling...He alone will be the one who will bring me before the Father, Christ alone, and present me as blameless, BECAUSE OF HIS WORK ON CALVARY. So what then? Jude's response is right on- TO GOD OUR SAVIOR BE ALL GLORY AND MAJESTY AND POWER FOREVER!!!

We often tend to gauge our favor with God based on how holy we are or how obedient we are being. But are we obeying Him because we want Him to love us more, because we have to, or because that's what a Christian does?? OR are we obeying Him because we love Him? Because we are simply responding to the Gospel, to the cross?

I guarantee if we spent 5 minutes every morning reflecting on the work of Christ on the cross, excavating the depths of Truth in the Scriptures pertaining to this, our days would look very different. When you are aware of the Gospel, you walk differently, you talk differently, you love differently. When you are aware of the cross, you are humbled and amazed and can't help but respond with adoration, glory and honor to the King.

So I challenge you, as I have myself, to spend time each morning reflecting first on the cross before you get into your day, or even before you get into other parts of Scripture pertaining to life; ask the Lord to make you more aware of the Gospel, the power it truly has, and what it has done for you. Dig deep into the Truth of the ultimate love story on Calvary and ask the Lord to help you to see more clearly. The reality of the Gospel is something that should never become old and should continually spur praise and thanks, it should be continually in focus as we live our lives for Him!