Keeping the Heart in the Love of God
A. Alexander, D. D. Jude 1:20 But you, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, I. DIRECTIONS. 1. Carefully shun all those circumstances and things which are known to have a tendency to damp the fervours of love, or to extinguish this holy fire. Above all, avoid every sinful indulgence. Fleshly lusts. Contention and strife. Pride and vainglory. 2. To keep ourselves in the love of God, we should often meditate on the superlative moral excellence of the Divine character, as displayed in His works and Word. 3. Every habit and affection is preserved in vigour and increased by frequent exercise. 4. The greatest hindrance to the exercise and increase of our love to God, is our blindness of mind and unbelief. In order, therefore, to preserve our souls in the lively exercise of the love of God, we must seek an increase of that faith which is "the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen" — that faith which "sees Him that is invisible" — which "looks not at the things which are seen and temporal, but at the things which are not seen, which are eternal." II. MOTIVES. 1. By doing this we shall best glorify God upon earth. 2. The next motive which should influence us to perform faithfully the duty enjoined in the text, is, that this will be the most effectual method of promoting the welfare and salvation of our fellow creatures. 3. The more we keep ourselves in the love of God, the more meet shall we be for the heavenly inheritance, where perfect love reigns in every heart. Not only so, but the richer reward will be possessed. (A. Alexander, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, WEB: But you, beloved, keep building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.