Jude 1 – Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.

THEME OF THE DAY: GOD’S GIFTS TO HIS SON. How do we understand and view salvation? Have we meditated long and deep on the glorious working of salvation by the whole of the Godhead; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? I am afraid too often we don’t take the time to plunge into the depths of the Gospel. Salvation is so much more than being forgiven our sins, having heaven as our home, and the knowledge our guilt before God has been removed. Should we only look at salvation from our perspective, of what we gain from being a Christian, we are falling so short of its meaning. And the way to free us from this shallow thinking and self-serving approach toward the Gospel of Jesus Christ is to do two things.

First, salvation is not primarily about us. The verses we are about to read are one continual sentence in the original language. They are so rich in the theological meaning of salvation and so heart-warming as one looks into the treasure chest of God’s sovereign grace in our salvation. As we read this passage, it will be okay to pause and worship the God of all grace. And as we do slowly and meditatively read this glorious truth, concentrate on what God does in our salvation and in doing so, notice what is absent in the working of salvation; any actions by us apart from believing. The Apostle Paul writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:3-14). Go back and ponder the acts of God toward us; He blessed us, chose us, predestined us, and lavished upon us His grace. If we are really to understand salvation Biblically, it does not begin with us and isn’t about us. It is all about what God has done.

The next thing to do to free us from a selfish me-centered salvation and Gospel is to ponder what God the Father has done for us in relationship with His Son, the Lord Jesus. This truth is the most liberating, motivating, and sustaining truth to propel us to live for the Lord Jesus with daily zeal, passion, and purpose for God’s glory. Get ready for a “mountain top” spiritual experience. God the Father has sovereignly and irresistibly given us as gifts of grace to His Son. Yes, if we are Christians, God has given us to His Son as gifts of grace. Six times in Jesus’ High Priestly prayer He mentions believers are ‘given to Him’ by His Father. Do we see ourselves as God the Father’s gifts of grace to His Son? Do we understand salvation is not making a decision for Jesus but is being given to Jesus by the Father as love gifts? If we start seeing, understanding, and marveling over the staggering love of God the Father in giving us to His Son as gifts of grace, we will not drift so easily into a stale, routine, mediocre, and lukewarm Christian experience. Just the opposite will happen. We will live every day with praise, passion, and purpose toward such a loving God. What a God we have who would take us from being His enemies and make us His gifts to His wonderful Son.

PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for making me a grace gift to Your Son.”

QUOTE: “See yourself as God the Father does and watch how a life of holiness, happiness, and purpose unfolds daily.”