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Daily Devotion
Text: Jude 1:1—2
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James. To those who are called, who are beloved in God the Father and kept safe for Jesus Christ. May mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance.
The letter of Jude is another letter with one chapter like Philemon. Who is Jude? The name ´Jude´ literally means ´Judas´ but translators used ´Jude´ to avoid confusing readers with the famous Judas Iscariot the betrayer of Jesus. In the New Testament, they are six people with the name ´Judas´. He is the half brother of Jesus just like the famous James the leader of the church in Jerusalem during the Council of Jerusalem. Jude just like his other brothers did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah until He resurrected. However, in this opening verse, he identifies himself as the servant of Jesus to demonstrate his humility and his placing of importance on the Christological identity of Jesus more than blood or human relationships
He wrote his letter to Christians and in his letter; Christians are identified by three identity markers: 1. They are called by God Himself. 2. They are sanctified by God. This means that they are set apart from the world to do God´s work. 3. They are preserved by Jesus Christ´s blood. Two takeaways for today are: 1. We are not Christians by accident, God called us to his kingdom. 2. There is nothing to fear because we are protected by the blood of Jesus.
The Revd Canon Dr I. S. Gusha Ss Philip and James Anglican Church Palma de Mallorca. Spain
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