“Knowing Christ is the best thing that has ever happened to me, although winning the US Open was a pretty good second.”
Blessing
To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen Jude 24-25Jude, one of the shortest books in the Bible, ends with one of the great blessings of the Bible. It is a blessing full of theological nuggets!
The blessing is addressed to the only God our Saviour. In four words the writer establishes that there is only one God, dismissing the polytheism of the ancient (and modern) world. Salvation is at the heart of God’s purposes, so it is appropriate that the one word he uses to describe God is Saviour. Don’t miss the our. He is writing about the creator of the universe, the Almighty. I love the way the French refer to God as “L’Eternal”. But as well as all that He is OUR God. We are in relationship with him.
The writer explains that God will keep you from stumbling. What an amazing privilege to know that God has got our back! If that is not enough, there is the amazing promise that God will present you before his glorious presence. When we die we will go into God’s presence forever. And we will be presented without fault – no wonder there will be great great joy.
I spoke to an athlete this week who shared how much it had helped to understand and apply God’s grace to competition. No longer trying to prove one’s worth through achievement but accepting your worth as a child of God and realizing that success or failure don’t change that.
Before you train or compete this week read the words at the end of Jude and be inspired.