When you go to a place like Disneyland with your children, you know where they are. You don’t leave the park and forget them, because you protect what you love.
In the same way, God never forgets those He loves. Writing to first-century believers, Jude addressed his letter “to all who are called to live in the love of God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ” (Jude 1 NLT).
In the original language, the clear implication is, “You are continually kept by Jesus Christ.”
Continually kept—what could be more encouraging than that? Whatever your difficulties may be today, you need to know that you are preserved in Christ, and that He will maintain His investment, which He purchased at the cross at such a great cost. He will protect you, preserve you, watch over you, and keep you.
You have your part as well.
But here’s something interesting. The Bible also tells us to keep ourselves in the love of God (Jude 21). Is this a contradiction? No. It’s merely two sides of the same coin. The Bible is teaching that God will keep us, but at the same time, we must keep ourselves in His love. We don’t keep ourselves saved, but we keep ourselves safe.
There are things we must do on a daily basis to keep ourselves in a place where God can actively bless us, and to keep ourselves away from all those things that would drag us down spiritually.
Put on your body armor.
Attacks will certainly come our way. Were it not for the preserving grace of God, none of us would make it. Clearly, we are preserved, protected, and kept by the power of heaven. Let’s make sure we walk in that generous protection and covering of our God, putting it on like a garment—or body armor—every morning before our feet hit the floor.
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39 NLT).
