Wednesday Devo

Jude
24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. 25 All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.

24–25 Doxology of Great Joy. As Jude ascribes all glory, majesty, dominion, and authority to God, he reminds believers of what God is doing for them as they await Christ’s return.

24 Just as the false teachers are “kept” by God for judgment (see 2 Pet. 2:9; cf. 2 Pet. 2:4; 3:7; Jude 6), so also he has infinite power to keep from stumbling those who have put their faith in him. By “stumbling” Jude means falling into sin or error (Gk. aptaistos, “without stumbling”; cf. ptaiō, “stumble,” in Rom. 11:11; James 2:10; 3:2; 2 Pet. 1:10). If such stumbling is left unchecked it will eventually lead to falling away from the faith. Yet Jude says God will never let his own fall away but will “keep” them by his grace (cf. note on Jude 21). He will present the Christian blameless (with no stain or sin) before the presence of his glory, the brightness that surrounds the presence of God and visibly manifests his holy character. This can only be effected by God’s power, through Jesus Christ the Lord. The only possible response to the work of God on behalf of believers is great joy (Gk. agalliasis, “great joy, exultation”), which suggests an exclamation of joy and praise.

25 the only God. There is only one God, who has acted redemptively (our Savior), once for all, in his one and only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. (On God as “Savior,” see note on 2 Tim. 1:8–10.) through Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus is the mediator through whom the person who trusts in him is able to give praise and thanksgiving to God. The church praises God through Christ, saying, to God be glory (here in the sense of great honor), majesty (Gk. megalōsynē; he is greater than all), dominion (Gk. kratos; his sovereign reign has no boundaries), and authority (Gk. exousia; he rules over all creation); in other words, may the praiseworthiness of God, who is as gracious as he is great, be fully acknowledged in his people’s adoration of him. Before all time means before the beginning of creation (Gen. 1:1) and suggests that time began when God created the material universe (cf. 2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 1:2). And now and forever shifts the focus into the present and then into the infinite future. Amen. I.e., “let it be so.”


Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2452.

Jude uses a military word, phylassō, to describe God as the one who guards us. Picture a watchman standing alert, protecting what matters most. That means God isn’t passively hoping you make it, He is actively keeping you, even from dangers you don’t see. Because of that, you don’t have to live on the exhausting repeat of a do better, try harder mentality to stay in His favor.

• When you think about your relationship with God, how would you describe it? More like resting securely as a son or daughter, or striving to prove yourself so you don’t lose your place? 
• Where do you still feel pressure to “perform” for God? What tends to trigger that; failure, sin, comparison, something else?

Jude says God is “able to keep you from falling.” That doesn’t mean you won’t stumble, but it does mean He doesn’t let go.

• Think about your last failure or moment of sin, what was your instinct? Did you pull away from God, or move toward Him?
• How would your life look like differently if you trusted that your security is based on His power, not your performance?
• Does that truth make you feel more relaxed in your faith, or more motivated to pursue Him? Why do you think that is?

2. Are there sources outside the Bible that confirm the Biblical account of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead?  Many Roman and Jewish historians have confirmed that the apostles died as martyrs for preaching that they saw Jesus risen from the grave. No one dies for something they know to be a lie.

(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)