Called, loved, kept

“To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ...” Jude 1:1b
Here are three words in Jude’s greeting to his readers that remind us of what God does. He has called us, He has loved us, and He has kept us – all three are the work of God.
We read of God calling us in several other Scriptures. We are called for His purpose (Rom. 8:28), His call on us is irrevocable (Rom. 11:29), we are called into fellowship with God (1 Cor. 1:9), we were called to receive eternal life (1 Tim. 6:12), we are called to live a holy life (2 Tim. 1:9), we were called out of darkness into light (1 Pet. 2:9).
We read of God’s love for us throughout the Bible. It is because of His love that God gave His Son (John 3:16, Rom. 5:8, 1 John 4:9-10), He laid down His life for us (John 15:13, Eph. 5:2, 1 John 3:16), we cannot be separated from Him (Rom. 8:38-39), we are called His chilren (1 John 3:1). His love is unfailing (Ps. 6:4, 13:5, 31:16, etc.), surpassing knowledge and understanding (Eph. 3:17-19). He loved us before we knew or loved Him, while we were still in our sins (Rom. 5:8, 1 John 4:19). He’s not going to love us any less now that we are saved.
Finally, we are kept by Jesus Christ. He keeps us safe (Ps. 27:5, Ps. 121:7, 1 John 5:18), He will keep us strong to the end (1 Cor. 1:8), He keeps us from falling (Jude 1:24), He keeps His promises (2 Pet. 3:13), He will keep us from the hour of tribulation (Rev. 3:10).