B O D Y    B U I L D I N G

Jude 20-21

What makes up the daily workouts that you use to build your body?  What is most effective in building up your mind?  How do you build your heart?  Today’s scripture has an answer to that question.

In Jude's letter to believers at verses 20 and 21 it says, "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.  Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."  Jude calls this group of men, "Beloved", as he deeply cares for them. 

Jude seems to say that building yourselves up through group prayer is a given, something that is normally expected of brothers in Christ.  He seems to say that everyone does this.  We will build ourselves up as a team by prayer, here he says prayer in the Holy Spirit.  When men pray together, the Spirit of God fills the place where we are gathered with His presence and we are thereby built up on our most holy faith.  Let's be as diligent to build ourselves up in prayer as we are to build ourselves up in the weight room.

The big idea that Jude wants them to know is in verse 21.  He says, "Keep yourselves in the love of God..."  Remember this is written to a group, not to an individual.  We keep ourselves in the love of God as a group through things like prayer as a group.  Through day to day living as teammates and friends.  Through caring enough about each other to encourage, admonish, confront, correct and to steer our teammates away from trouble.  We experience the mercy of the Lord Jesus and His eternal life when we keep ourselves (as a group) in the love of God. 

Let's begin today's competition with prayer as a group, building ourselves up on our most holy faith.  Then let's keep ourselves, as a group, in the love of God as we look out for the interests of the team, more than just our individual interests.  In doing so we'll experience the mercy of our Lord Jesus.

Bible Reading Plan:
Luke 12:35-48
II Thessalonians 3:6-13
Psalms 149
II Chronicles 30-33