Keep Yourselves in the Love of God

Keep Yourselves in the Love of God

We see that it is impossible to be superficial if we are to keep ourselves in the love of God. Jesus says that because unrighteousness will increase, the love of many will grow cold. In other words, there are some whose love does not grow cold in spite of all unrighteousness and malice. If we are to be successful in keeping our love warm we have to do what Jude writes: “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.”

Jesus kept Himself in love despite the fact that He was tempted in all points as we are (Heb. 4:15); He, “when He was reviled, did not revile in return.” He “took the form of a servant,” and as a servant you have to endure all kinds of things in order remain in love. Then we can ask: What is the secret that made it possible for Him to remain in love, including on the cross when He was mocked even by those who were crucified with Him? Matt. 27:44.

We can read about this secret further in Philippians 2: “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” He humbled Himself even on the cross on which He was mocked. Jesus was not humbled. Not at all! He humbled Himself.

Many people are humbled, becoming bitter as a result. Because they become bitter, they do not keep themselves in love. If I am to keep myself in love I have to humble myself. We understand that when we read 1 Corinthians 13. There we read how love acts: Love is longsuffering. Why isn’t a person longsuffering but gets hot-tempered instead? Because he does not want to humble himself. Reading further, we see that if we are to be kept in love, we have to humble ourselves. “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Prior to the above scripture we read that no matter how great the miracles are which a person performs, he is nothing if he does not have love. God exalted Jesus because He humbled Himself. He was something. He humbled Himself more than anyone; therefore He is also greater than all and has been given a name that is above every name.

When someone who performs signs and wonders becomes offended or impatient, he does not have love, for love is patient, and since he does not have love, he is nothing. Then he exalts himself and does not follow Jesus. “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor . . . but have not love, it profits me nothing.” One could believe that a person has love when he gives everything he owns to feed the poor. That may be so, but it is not certain. It is unbelievable what people can do, how they can sacrifice their strength and their time and their possessions. They become something in people’s eyes by doing that. But when it comes to the point of being humbled and suffering unjustly, they get offended and become impatient.

The evidence of love is not that a person can do something great in man’s eyes, but rather that he, among other things, humbles himself and does not become bitter but “bears all things” and is good. Then he follows Jesus on His course. That is what profits him and makes him into something. All works need to be grounded on this foundation if they are to be good.