Keeping Yourself in God’s Love: 3 Practical Steps from Jude
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Have you ever found yourself drifting in your spiritual walk? Maybe you started strong in your relationship with God, but over time, the busyness of life, distractions, or challenges have caused that connection to feel distant. Like a raft slowly carried out to sea, we can find ourselves far from where we intended to be spiritually.
This is precisely the concern that prompted Jude—the brother of James—to write his short but powerful letter to the early church. In just 25 verses, Jude delivers a passionate call for believers to “contend for the faith” and provides practical guidance on how to remain grounded in God’s love despite the pull of false teaching and worldly influences.
Understanding God’s Love: It’s Not Based on Your Performance
Before diving into the practical steps, we need to clarify what it means to “keep yourself in the love of God” (Jude 21). At first glance, this phrase might sound like God’s love is conditional—that we must perform certain actions to maintain His affection.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
God’s love for you isn’t based on your goodness but on His goodness. As 1 John 4:9-10 tells us: “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
The foundation of the gospel is that God loves you not because of anything you’ve done or will do, but because He is love. Your salvation isn’t earned—it’s received as a gift. When God looks at those who are in Christ, He sees them as “beloved,” the same term used to describe Jesus at His baptism (Matthew 3:17).
So keeping yourself in God’s love isn’t about maintaining His affection; it’s about remaining aware of and oriented toward this incredible, unchanging love. It’s about not drifting away from the truth of how deeply loved you already are.
With this understanding, let’s explore Jude’s three practical steps for keeping ourselves in God’s love.
Step 1: Building What Matters Most
“But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith…” (Jude 20)
The first way we keep ourselves in God’s love is by intentionally building our faith. Notice that Jude calls our faith “most holy.” This isn’t because our personal faith is so impressive or strong, but because it’s focused on the Holy One—Jesus Christ.
Building your faith is about prioritizing your relationship with God above all else. Throughout life, we build many things: careers, reputations, financial security, social media followings. But what matters most is building your connection with God.
Practical application:
- Make Scripture reading a daily habit. God’s Word is the primary way He speaks to us and reveals His character. Even just 10-15 minutes a day adds up to significant growth over time.
- Join a community of believers. Jude wrote to a community, not isolated individuals. We need others to help us stay accountable and encouraged. Consider joining a community group, Bible study, or discipleship relationship.
- Invest in spiritual growth resources. Books, podcasts, and courses by trusted teachers can help deepen your understanding of God’s Word and character.
Remember, building anything worthwhile takes time and consistency. Progress in your faith won’t happen overnight, but steady investment will yield tremendous returns.
Step 2: Praying for What Honors God Most
“…praying in the Holy Spirit…” (Jude 20)
The second way we keep ourselves in God’s love is through prayer—specifically, “praying in the Holy Spirit.” This doesn’t refer to speaking in tongues or some mysterious spiritual experience reserved for a select few. Rather, it means praying with the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, who lives within every believer.
Praying in the Spirit means aligning our prayers with God’s will and glory rather than merely focusing on our comfort or convenience. It means approaching prayer with the ultimate aim of glorifying God.
Practical application:
- Begin prayer by acknowledging God’s greatness. Before presenting your requests, spend time praising God for who He is and what He’s done. This orients your heart toward His glory.
- Pray Scripture back to God. When you’re unsure how to pray, use Bible passages as your guide. The Psalms are particularly helpful for this practice.
- Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. Romans 8:26 tells us that the Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us when we don’t know what to pray. Before you start praying, ask the Spirit to guide your thoughts and words.
- End prayers with “Your will be done.” Following Jesus’ example in the Lord’s Prayer, submit your desires to God’s perfect plan.
When we pray in the Spirit, our desires gradually align with God’s desires, and we find ourselves increasingly focused on what honors Him most rather than what merely benefits us temporarily.
Step 3: Waiting for What Lasts Forever
“…waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” (Jude 21)
The third way we keep ourselves in God’s love is by maintaining an eternal perspective—waiting expectantly for Christ’s return and the fulfillment of His promises.
In our instant-gratification culture, waiting isn’t valued. But in God’s economy, waiting is active and purposeful. It means living in hopeful anticipation of what God has promised, letting that future reality shape our present choices and attitudes.
Practical application:
- Regularly reflect on heaven and eternity. Set aside time to meditate on passages about heaven, Christ’s return, and the new creation (Revelation 21-22, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 2 Peter 3:11-13).
- Practice contentment despite circumstances. Philippians 4:11-13 shows us that contentment isn’t tied to our situation but to our connection with Christ. When difficulties come, remind yourself that present troubles are temporary (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
- Make decisions with eternity in mind. Before major life decisions, ask: “How will this choice impact eternity?” This helps us prioritize what really matters.
- Celebrate small glimpses of God’s kingdom. Look for evidence of God’s work in and around you—moments of unexpected joy, reconciliation, healing, or transformation. These are foretastes of what’s to come.
When we wait actively for Christ’s mercy that leads to eternal life, we’re less likely to be swayed by temporary pleasures or discouraged by momentary hardships. Our hearts remain anchored in God’s love because we’re focused on the glorious future He has prepared for us.
The Result: Extending Mercy to Others
As we keep ourselves in God’s love through these three practices, something beautiful happens: God’s mercy toward us overflows into mercy toward others.
Jude continues in verses 22-23: “And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.”
When we’re secure in God’s love, we can extend compassion to those who are drifting, doubting, or have fallen away. We remember that we too have been rescued by mercy, not by our own righteousness.
This mercy takes different forms depending on the situation:
- For some who doubt, gentle encouragement and patient listening are needed
- For others who are in danger of being lost, bold intervention may be required
- For those entangled in sin, compassionate but careful restoration is appropriate
In all cases, the goal isn’t to win arguments but to win people—to help them experience the same transformative love of God that we ourselves have received.
Conclusion: It’s God Who Keeps You
As we practice these three steps—building what matters most, praying for what honors God most, and waiting for what lasts forever—we might wonder if we have what it takes to remain faithful.
Jude concludes his letter with this reassuring doxology:
“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 24-25)
Ultimately, it is God who keeps us from falling away. Like a mother holding her child’s hand while crossing a busy street, it’s not the child’s grip that ensures safety but the parent’s. God’s grip on us is secure, and nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39).
As you practice these three steps from Jude, do so not out of anxious striving but from a place of confidence in God’s unfailing love for you. He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion (Philippians 1:6).
How are you doing at keeping yourself in God’s love? Which of these three practices might need more attention in your spiritual life right now? Start today by taking one small step in that direction, knowing that the God who loves you is holding you securely all the way.
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Watch the full sermon from week three of our sermon series in Jude called “The Struggle” below:
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