| Jude 1-2 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. Who is the author of Jude? The author of Jude was not Judas who betrayed Jesus. Many people believe that Jude is written by Jesus' earthly brother. In the Gspel of Mark, it was mentioned, "Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon?" (Mark 6:3). This tells us that Jesus' brothers include James and Judas. This Judas was the one who wrote the book of Jude. One interesting thing to note here is that despite the difficulty we face in witnessing to our own family members, Judas was being a witness for Jesus here. This is not an easy task at all. In verse 1, Judas did not address himself as the brother of Jesus, but referred to himself a servant of Jesus Christ. This proves that Jesus is indeed special - He is the perfect Son of God. Even Judas, His earthly brother, had to acknowledge Him as the Son of God. Judas also referred to himself a servant of Jesus Christ, further emphasizing that Jesus is indeed God. Next, Judas addressed the Christians and referred to them as being loved by God the Father. Did you know that you are loved by God the Father? Often times, we do not feel loved by anyone around us. We allow ourselves to wallow in self-pity and loneliness. But did you know there is a God who truly loves you and cares about you? When I first came to America (in the state of Philadelphia) for school many years ago, I had to walk for 30 minutes in the cold harsh winter from my home to the train station in order to get to school. At times, during my walk, I would look up into the sky and wonder if anyone really cares about me. Does anyone understand my spiritual needs? Does anyone understand what I am going through? As I walk in the snow by myself, tears would start rolling down my cheeks. Praise the Lord, during those times, God's Spirit would remind me that I have a loving Heavenly Father who cares about me. Although I may feel lonely, I am definitely not alone in spirit. God is guiding me every step along the way. As I look back at those times, I really see God leading and training each step along the way. Pray that God will help us step out of self-pity and loneliness and find joy and contentment in Him.
Pray with Pastor Tong Liu 
Lord, we thank you, for you welcomed us first. May you put such love in our heart, so that we cLord, we thank you because we have joy and everything we need in You. Your presence in us is something that can never be taken away from us. We are truly loved by You and You will never leave us nor forsake us. May your Word comfort us and give us strength. We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!an welcome one another among brothers and sisters. When others see the testimony that we welcome one another, they will return to You. We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen! |
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