May 13

and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. — 1 Pet 1:4-5 BSB

A saintly man once requested that his only epitaph be “Kept.” All Christians are kept by the power of God until the final day of salvation. Only those who overcome will reach glory, and only Christ can help us be victorious. While Christ’s death for us is vital, His real work in saving us is what He does with us day by day—keeping us, guiding us, giving us grace for living, lifting us up when we fall, and bringing us back when we stray. Without the patient, watchful, and never-tiring love of Christ, none of us would make it home. We are kept!

This divine keeping comes to us in many forms. We believe in guardian angels, and there’s also human guardianship. A mother is her child’s first keeper. The old rabbis used to say that God couldn’t be everywhere, so He made mothers. Throughout life, God provides human guardians who nurture and guide our faith. Above all, we have the Lord Himself as our Keeper: “The Lord is your keeper” (Psalm 121:5).