Our Goals as Disciples of Jesus Christ for 2015

What kind of goals should we set as disciples of Jesus Christ? What does the Bible say about working toward spiritual goals? We have many goals in our personal and professional lives, and yet our goals as disciples of Jesus Christ are quite different, and affect those personal and professional goals. The Scriptures have a lot to say about what our goals should be as disciples of Jesus Christ.

The "attainable spiritual goals" are taken from the following texts:

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience. (Colossians 1:10-11)

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe. (Philippians 2:14-15)

In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. (Titus 2:7-8)

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us. (1 Peter 2:12)

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:33-34)

Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments. (Matthew 22:37-40)

I want to know Christ, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11)

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is; His good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)

Here are the "attainable spiritual goals" for 2015:
1) Live a life that honors and pleases the Lord in every way.
2) Produce every kind of good fruit.
3) Grow in your knowledge of God.
4) Be strengthened by God's mighty power, having endurance and patience with joy.
5) Do everything without complaining or arguing.
6) Live a clean innocent life.
7) Set an example by doing what is right, and good.
8) Speak the truth.
9) Let your actions and behavior glorify God.
10) Seek God's way of doing and being right.
11) Don't worry or be anxious about tomorrow.
12) Love God with all your heart, soul and mind.
13) Love you neighbor the way you love yourself. 
14) Know Christ, and the power that raised Him from the dead (the Holy Spirit).
15) Share in His suffering.
16) Offer your body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual act of worship.
17) Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world.
18) Be transformed by having your mind renewed by the Word of God.
19) Promote (C.O.L.K.) the culture of love and kindness.

Right Relationships, Right Living

Romans 12

In all of his letters, Paul concluded with a list of practical duties that were based on the doctrines he discussed. In the Christian life, doctrine and duty always go together. What we believe helps to determine how we behave. It is not enough for us to understand Paul's doctrinal explanations. We must translate our learning into living and show by our daily lives that we trust God's Word. The key idea in this lesson is relationships. The term "relational theology" is a relatively new one, but the idea is not new. If we have a right relationship to God, we will have a right relationship to the people who are a part of our lives. "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar" (1 John 4:20).

Our Relationship to God (Romans 12:1-2)

This is the fourth "therefore" in the letter. Romans 3:20 is the "therefore" of condemnation, declaring that the whole world is guilty before God. Romans 5:1 is the "therefore" of justification, and Romans 8:1 the "therefore" of assurance. In Romans 12:1, we have the "therefore" of dedication, and it is this dedication that is the basis for the other relationships that Paul discussed in this section. What is true dedication? As Paul described it here, Christian dedication involves three steps:
 
1)You give God your body (verse 1). Before we trusted Christ, we used our body for sinful pleasures and purposes, but now that we belong to Him, we want to use our body for His glory. The Christian's body is God's temple (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) because the Spirit of God dwells within him (Romans 8:9). It is our privilege to glorify Christ in our body and magnify Christ in our body (Philippians 1:20-21). Just as Jesus Christ had to take on Himself a body in order to accomplish God's will on earth, so we must yield our bodies to Christ that He might continue God's work through us. We must yield the members of the body as "instruments of righteousness" (Romans 6:13) for the Holy Spirit to use in the doing of God's work. The Old Testament sacrifices were dead sacrifices, but we are to be living sacrifices.

There are two "living sacrifices" in the Bible and they help us understand what this really means. The first is Isaac (Genesis 22); the second is our Lord Jesus Christ. Isaac willingly put himself on the altar and would have died in obedience to God's will, but the Lord sent a ram to take his place. Isaac "died" just the same—he died to self and willingly yielded himself to the will of God. When he got off that altar, Isaac was a "living sacrifice" to the glory of God.

Of course, our Lord Jesus Christ is the perfect illustration of a "living sacrifice," because He actually died as a sacrifice, in obedience to His Father's will. But He arose again. And today He is in heaven as a "living sacrifice," bearing in His body the wounds of Calvary. He is our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16) and our Advocate (1 John 2:1) before the throne of God. The verb "present" in this verse means "present once and for all." It commands a definite commitment of the body to the Lord, just as a bride and groom in their wedding service commit themselves to each other. It is this once-for-all commitment that determines what they do with their bodies. Paul gives us two reasons for this commitment: (1) it is the right response to all that God has done for us—"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God"; and (2) this commitment is "our reasonable service" or "our spiritual worship." This means that every day is a worship experience when your body is yielded to the Lord.

2)You give Him your mind (verse 2a). The world wants to control your mind, but God wants to transform your mind (Ephesians 4:17-24; Colossians 3:1-11). This word transform is the same as transfigure in Matthew 17:2. It has come into our English language as the word "metamorphosis." It describes a change from within. The world wants to change your mind, so it exerts pressure from without. But the Holy Spirit changes your mind by releasing power from within. If the world controls your thinking, you are a conformer; if God controls your thinking, you are a transformer. God transforms our minds and makes us spiritually minded by using His Word. As you spend time meditating on God's Word, memorizing it, and making it a part of your inner man, God will gradually make your mind more spiritual (2 Corinthians 3:18).

3)You give Him your will (verse 2b). Your mind controls your body, and your will controls your mind. Many people think they can control their will by "willpower," but usually they fail. (This was Paul's experience as recorded in Romans 7:15-21). It is only when we yield the will to God that His power can take over and give us the willpower (and the won't power!) that we need to be victorious Christians. We surrender our wills to God through disciplined prayer. As we spend time in prayer, we surrender our will to God and pray, with the Lord, "Not my will, but Thy will be done." We must pray about everything, and let God have His way in everything. To have a right relationship with God, we must start the day by yielding to Him our bodies, minds, and wills.

Relationship to Other Believers (Romans 12:3-16)

Paul was writing to Christians who were members of local churches in Rome. He described their relationship to each other in terms of the members of a body. (He used this same picture in 1 Corinthians 2; Ephesians 4:7-16.) The basic idea is that each believer is a living part of Christ's body, and each one has a spiritual function to perform. Each believer has a gift (or gifts) to be used for the building up of the body and the perfecting of the other members of the body. In short, we belong to each other, we minister to each other, and we need each other. What are the essentials for spiritual ministry and growth in the body of Christ?

Honest evaluation (verse 3). Each Christian must know what his or her spiritual gifts are and what ministry (or ministries) he or she is to have in the local church. It is not wrong for a Christian to recognize gifts in their own life and in the lives of others. What is wrong is the tendency to have a false evaluation of ourselves. Nothing causes more damage in a local church than a believer who overrates their self, and tries to perform a ministry that he or she cannot do. (Sometimes the opposite is true, and people undervalue themselves. Both attitudes are wrong.)

The gifts that we have come because of God's grace. They must be accepted and exercised by faith. We were saved "by grace, through faith" (Ephesians 2:8-9), and we must live and serve "by grace through faith." Since our gifts are from God, we cannot take the credit for them. All we can do is accept them and use them to honor His name (1 Corinthians 15:10).

Faithful cooperation (verses 4-8). Each believer has a different gift, and God has bestowed these gifts so the local body can grow in a balanced way. But each Christian must exercise his or her gift by faith. We may not see the result of our ministry, but the Lord sees it and He blesses. Note that "exhortation" (encouragement) is just as much a spiritual ministry as preaching or teaching. Giving and showing mercy are also important gifts. To some people, God has given the ability to rule, or to administer the various functions of the church. Whatever gift we have must be dedicated to God and used for the good of the whole church. It is tragic when any one gift is emphasized in a local church beyond all the other gifts. "Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?" (1 Corinthians 12:29-30) The answer to all these questions is no! And for a Christian to minimize the other gifts while he or she emphasizes their own gift is to deny the very purpose for which gifts are given: the benefit of the whole body of Christ. "Now to each man the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7).

Spiritual gifts are tools to build with, not toys to play with or weapons to fight with. In the church at Corinth, the believers were tearing down the ministry because they were abusing spiritual gifts. They were using their gifts as ends in themselves and not as a means toward the end of building up the church. They so emphasized their spiritual gifts that they lost their spiritual graces! They had the gifts of the Spirit but were lacking in the fruit of the spirit - love, joy, peace, etc. (Galatians 5:22-23).

Loving participation (verses 9-16). Here the emphasis is on the attitudes of those who exercise the spiritual gifts. It is possible to use a spiritual gift in an unspiritual way. Paul makes this same point in 1 Corinthians 13, the great "love chapter" of the New Testament. Love is the circulatory system of the spiritual body, which enables all lie members to function in a healthy, harmonious way. This must, be an honest love, not a hypocritical love (Romans 11:9); and it must be humble, not proud (Romans 11:10). "Preferring one another" means treating others as more important than ourselves (Philippians 2:1-4).

Serving Christ usually means Satanic opposition and days of discouragement. Paul admonished his readers to maintain their spiritual zeal because they were serving the Lord and not men. When life becomes difficult, the Christian cannot permit his zeal to grow cold. "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" (Romans 12:12).

Christian fellowship is much more than a pat on the back and a handshake. It means sharing the burdens and the blessings of others so that we all grow together and glorify the Lord. If Christians cannot get along with one another, how can they ever face their enemies? A humble attitude and a willingness to share are the marks of a Christian who truly ministers to the body. Our Lord ministered to the common people, and they heard Him gladly (Mark 12:37). When a local church decides it wants only a certain "high class" of people, it departs from the ideal of true ministry.

Our Relationship to Our Enemies (Romans 2:17-21)
The believer who seeks to obey God is going to have enemies. When our Lord was ministering on earth, He had enemies. No matter where Paul and the other apostles traveled, there were enemies who opposed their work. Jesus warned His disciples that their worst enemies might be those of their own household (Matthew 10:36). Unfortunately, some believers have enemies because they lack love and patience, and not because they are faithful in their witness. There is a difference between sharing in "the offense of the cross" (Galatians  5:11; 6:12-15) and being an offensive Christian!

The Christian must not play God and try to avenge their self. Returning evil for evil, or good for good, is the way most people live. But the Christian must live on a higher level and return good for evil. Of course, this requires love, because our first inclination is to fight back. It also requires faith, believing that God can work and accomplish His will in our lives and in the lives of those who hurt us. We must give place to "the wrath"—the wrath of God (Deuteronomy 2:35).

The admonition in Romans 12:20 reminds us of Christ's words in Matthew 5:44-48. These words are easy to read but difficult to practice. Surely we need to pray and ask God for love as we try to show kindness to our enemies. Will they take advantage of us? Will they hate us more? Only the Lord knows. Our task is not to protect ourselves but to obey the Lord and leave the results with Him. Paul referred to Proverbs 25:21-22 as he urged us to return good for evil in the name of the Lord. The "coals of fire" refer to the feeling of shame our enemies will experience when we return good for evil. As children of God, we must live on the highest level—returning good for evil. Anyone can return good for good and evil for evil. The only way to overcome evil is with good. If we return evil for evil, we only add fuel to the fire. And even if our enemy is not converted, we have still experienced the love of God in our own hearts and have grown in grace.

 

Mandates for Godly Living (continued)

The text (Luke Chapter 6) applies to life today and describes the kind of godly character we should have as believers in this world. Certainly our Lord describes a life situation quite unlike that of the glorious kingdom, including hunger, tears, persecution, and false teachers. What Jesus did was to focus on attitudes: our attitude toward circumstances (Luke 6:20-26), people (Luke 6:27-38), ourselves (Luke 6:39-45), and God (Luke 6:46-49). He emphasized four essentials for true happiness: faith in God, love toward others, honesty with ourselves, and obedience to God.

Circumstances (Luke 6:20-26)

Life was difficult for the people of that day and there was not much hope their circumstances would be improved. Like people today, many of them thought that happiness comes from having great possessions, or holding an exalted position, or enjoying the pleasures and popularity that money can buy. Imagine how surprised they were when they heard Jesus describe happiness in terms just the opposite of what they expected! They discovered that what they needed most was not a change in circumstances but a change in their relationship to God and in their outlook on life.

Jesus did not teach that poverty, hunger, persecution, and tears were blessings in themselves. If that were true, He would never have done all He did to alleviate the sufferings of others. Rather, Jesus was describing the inner attitudes we must have if we are to experience the blessedness of the Christian life. We should certainly do what we can to help others in a material way (James 2:15-17; 1 John 3:16-18), but we must remember that no amount of "things" can substitute for a personal relationship with God.

Jesus was not glorifying material poverty; rather, He was calling for that brokenness of heart that confesses spiritual poverty within (Luke 18:9-14; Philippians 3:4-14). The humble person is the only kind the Lord can save (Isaiah 57:15; 66:2; 1 Peter 5:6).

Jesus Himself experienced the persecution described in Luke 6:22, and so would His disciples. How can we rejoice when men attack us? By remembering that it is a privilege to suffer for His sake (Philippians 3:10). When they treat us the way they treated Him, it is evidence that we are starting to live as He lived, and that is a compliment. All of the saints of the ages were treated this way, so we are in good company! Furthermore, God promises a special reward for all those who are faithful to Him; so the best is yet to come!

This is a common truth: you take what you want from life and you pay for it. If you want immediate wealth, fullness, laughter, and popularity, you can get it; but there is a price to pay: that is all you will get. Jesus did not say that these things were wrong. He said that being satisfied with them is its own judgment.

When people are satisfied with the lesser things of life, the good instead of the best, then their successes add up only as failures. These people are spiritually bankrupt and do not realize it. Life is built on character, and character is built on decisions. But decisions are based on values, and values must be accepted by faith. Moses made his life-changing decisions on the basis of values that other people thought were foolish (Hebrews 11:24-29), but God honored his faith. The Christian enjoys all that God gives him (1 Timothy 6:17) because he lives "with eternity's values in view."

People (Luke 6: 27-38)
Jesus assumed that anybody who lived for eternal values would get into trouble with the world's crowd. We are (God’s people) the "salt of the earth" and "the light of the world" (Matthew 5:13-16), and sometimes the salt stings and the light exposes sin. Sinners show their hatred by avoiding us or rejecting us (Luke 6:22), insulting us (Luke 6:28), physically abusing us (Luke 6:29), and suing us (Luke 6:30). This is something we must expect (Philippians 1:29; 2 Timothy 3:12). How should we treat our enemies? We must love them, do them good, and pray for them. Hatred only breeds more hatred, "for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires" (James 1:20, NIV). This cannot be done in our own strength, but it can be done through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22-23).

We must not look at these admonitions as a series of rules to be obeyed. They describe an attitude of heart that expresses itself positively when others are negative, and generously when others are selfish, all to the glory of God. It is an inner disposition, not a legal duty. We must have wisdom to know when to turn the other cheek and when to claim our rights (John 18:22-23; Acts 16:35-40). Even Christian love must exercise discernment (Philippians 1:9-11).

Two principles stand out: we must treat others as we would want to be treated (Luke 6:31), which assumes we want the very best spiritually for ourselves; and we must imitate our Father in heaven and be merciful (Luke 6:36). The important thing is not that we are vindicated before our enemies but that we become more like God in our character (Luke 6:35). This is the greatest reward anyone can receive; far greater than riches, food, laughter, or popularity (Luke 6:24-26). Those things will one day vanish, but character will last for eternity. We must believe Matthew 6:33 and practice it in the power of the Spirit.

Luke 6:37-38 reminds us: if we judge others, we will ourselves be judged. If we forgive, we shall be forgiven, but if we condemn, we shall be condemned (Matthew 18:21-35). He was not talking about eternal judgment but the way we are treated in this life. If we live to give, God will see to it that we receive; but if we live only to get, God will see to it that we lose. This principle applies not only to our giving of money, but also to the giving of ourselves in ministry to others.

Self (Luke 6:39-45)
To begin with, as His disciples, we must be sure that we see clearly enough to guide others in their spiritual walk. While there are blind people who have a keen sense of direction, it is not likely any of them will be hired as airplane pilots or tour guides.

Jesus was referring primarily to the Pharisees who were leading the people astray (Matthew 15:14; 23:16). If we see ourselves as excellent guides, but do not realize our blindness, we will only lead people into the ditch (Romans 2:17-22). Luke 6:40 reminds us that we cannot lead others where we have not been ourselves. This is a warning against pride, for nothing blinds a person like pride. Continuing the image of "the eye," Jesus taught that we must be able to see clearly enough to help our brother see better. It certainly is not wrong to help a brother get a painful speck of dirt out of his eye, provided we can see what we are doing.

The crowd must have laughed out loud when Jesus described an "eye doctor" with a plank in his eye, performing surgery on a patient with a speck in his eye! The emphasis here is on being honest with ourselves and not becoming hypocrites. It is easy to try to help a brother with his faults just so we can cover up our own sins! People who are constantly criticizing others are usually guilty of something worse in their own lives.

The illustration of the tree reminds us that fruit is always true to character. An apple tree produces apples, not oranges; and a good person produces good fruit, not evil. Believers do sin, but the witness of their words and works is consistently good to the glory of God. In terms of ministry, servants of God who are faithful will reproduce themselves in people who are in turn true to the Lord (2 Timothy 2:2).

The last image, the treasury, teaches us that what comes out of the lips depends on what is inside the heart. The human heart is like a treasury, and what we speak reveals what is there. We must be honest with ourselves and admit the blind spots in our lives, the obstacles that blur our vision, and the areas within that must be corrected. Then we can be used of the Lord to minister to others and not lead them astray.

God (Luke 6:46-49)

Our Lord's emphasis here is on obedience. It is not enough merely to hear His Word and call Him "Lord." We must also obey what He commands us to do. All of us are builders and we must be careful to build wisely. To "build on the rock" simply means to obey what God commands in His Word. To "build on the sand" means to give Christ lip service, but not obey His will. It may look as if we are building a strong house, but if it has no foundation, it cannot last. The storm here is not the last judgment but the tests of life that come to every professing Christian. Not everybody who professes to know the Lord has had a real experience of salvation. They may have been active in church and other religious organizations, but if they are not saved by faith, they have no foundation to their lives. When difficulties come, instead of glorifying the Lord, they desert Him; and their house of testimony collapses.

Nobody can really call Jesus Christ "Lord" except by the Holy Spirit of God (Romans 8:16; 1 Corinthians 12:3). If Christ is in our hearts, then our mouths must confess Him to others (Romans 10:9-10). If we are "rooted and built up in Him" (Colossians 2:7), then our fruits will be good and our house will withstand the storms. We may have our faults and failures, but the steady witness of our lives will point to Christ and honor Him.

This is the "new blessing" that Jesus offered His nation and that He offers us today. We can experience the "heavenly happiness" and true blessedness which only He can give. The basis for all of this is personal saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mandates for Godly Living

Luke 6:27-38

Jesus was preaching to His disciples as well as to the multitudes (Luke 6:27-47), for even the Twelve had to unlearn many things before they could effectively serve Him. Also, they had left everything to follow Jesus (Luke 5:11, 28), and no doubt were asking themselves, "What is in store for us?" The Lord explained, that the truly blessed life comes not from getting, or from doing, but from being. The emphasis is on godly character!

This sermon is not "the Gospel" and nobody goes to heaven by "following the Sermon on the Mount." Dead sinners cannot obey the living God; they must first be born again and receive God's life (John 3:1-7, 36). Nor is this sermon a "constitution" for the kingdom God will one day establish on earth (Matthew 20:21; Luke 22:30). The Sermon on the Mount applies to life today and describes the kind of godly character we should have as believers in this world. Certainly our Lord describes a life situation quite unlike that of the glorious kingdom, including hunger, tears, persecution, and false teachers. What Jesus did was to focus on attitudes:
(1) our attitude toward circumstances (Luke 6:20-26)
(2) our attitude toward people (Luke 6:27-38)
(3) our attitude toward ourselves (Luke 6:39-45)
(4) our attitude toward God (Luke 6:46-49).

He emphasized four essentials for true happiness:
(1) faith in God
(2) love toward others
(3) honesty with ourselves
(4) obedience to God

Here are some of the mandates He gave:
1) Love your enemies.
2) Be good to everyone, even those that hate you.
3) Ask God to bless anyone who curses you.
4) Pray for everyone who is mean (cruel) to you.
5) Learn to live without offense.
6) Give to everyone who asks of you.
7) Don't ask people to return what they have borrowed from you.
8) Treat others just as you want to be treated.
9) Love everyone, even those that hate you.
10) Be kind to everyone, not just those who are kind to you.
11) Give what you can to help others without concern for repayment.
12) Have mercy on others, just as your Father (God) has mercy on you.
13) Don't judge others, and God won't judge you.
14) Don't be hard on others, and God won't be hard on you.
15) Forgive others, and God will forgive you.

Love: gives us confidence before God

1 John 3:18-24

True Christian love means loving in deed and in truth. The opposite of "in deed" is "in word," and the opposite of "in truth" is "in tongue." Here is an example of love "in word": "If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be wanned and be filled'; and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?" (James 2:15-16)

To love "in word" means simply to talk about a need, but to love "in deed" means to do something about meeting it. You may think, because you have discussed a need, or even prayed about it, that you have done your duty, but love involves more than words—it calls for sacrificial deeds. To love "in tongue" is the opposite of to love "in truth." It means to love insincerely. To love "in truth" means to love a person genuinely, from the heart and not just from the tongue. People are attracted by genuine love, but repelled by the artificial variety. One reason why sinners were attracted to Jesus (Luke 15:1-2) was because they were sure He loved them sincerely.

"But does it not cost a great deal for the believer to exercise this kind of love?"
Yes, it does. It cost Jesus Christ His life. But the wonderful benefits that come to you as by-products of this love more than compensate for any sacrifice you make. To be sure, you do not love others because you want to get something in return, but the Bible principle, "Give and it shall be given unto you" (Luke 6:38), applies to love as well as to money.

John names three wonderful blessings that will come to a believer who practices Christian love:

“Assurance” (vv. 19-20): A believer's relationship with others affects His relationship with God. A man who is not right with his brother should go settle the matter before he offers his sacrifice on the altar (Matthew 5:23-24). A Christian who practices love grows in his understanding of God's truth and enjoys a heart filled with confidence before God.

A "condemning heart" is one that robs a believer of peace. An "accusing conscience" is another way to describe it. Sometimes the heart accuses us wrongly, because it "is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)

The answer to that question is, "God knows the heart!" More than one Christian has accused himself falsely, or been harder on himself than necessary; but God will never make such a mistake. A Christian who walks in love has a heart open to God ("God is love") and knows that God never judges wrongly.

John may have remembered two incidents from Jesus' life on earth that illustrate this important principle. When Jesus visited Bethany, He stayed at the home of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42). Martha was busy preparing the meal, but Mary sat at His feet and listened to Him teach. Martha criticized both Mary and Jesus, but Jesus knew Mary's heart and defended her.

The Apostle Peter wept bitterly after he had denied his Lord, and no doubt he was filled with remorse and repentance for his sin. But Jesus knew that Peter had repented, and after His resurrection the Lord sent a special message (Mark 16:7) to Peter that must have assured the hot-headed fisherman that he was forgiven. Peter's heart may have condemned him, for he knew he had denied the Lord three times, but God was greater than his heart. Jesus, knowing all things, gave Peter just the assurance he needed.

Be careful lest the devil accuse you and rob you of your confidence (Revelation 12:10). Once you confess your sin and it is forgiven, you need not allow it to accuse you anymore. Peter was able to face the Jews and say, "But ye denied the Holy One and the Just!" (Acts 3:14) because his own sin of denying Christ had been taken care of and was forgiven and forgotten.

No Christian should treat sin lightly, but no Christian should be harder on himself than God is. There is a morbid kind of self-examination and self-condemnation that is not spiritual. If you are practicing genuine love for the brethren, your heart must be right before God, for the Holy Spirit would not "shed abroad" His love in you if there were habitual sin in your heart. When you grieve the Spirit, you "turn off the supply of God's love (Ephesians 4:30-5:2).

“Answered prayer” (vv. 21-22). Love for the brethren produces confidence toward God, and confidence toward God gives you boldness in asking for what you need. This does not mean that you earn answers to prayer by loving the brethren.
Rather, it means that your love for the brethren proves that you are living in the will of God where God can answer your prayer. "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments" (1 John 3:22). Love is the fulfilling of God's Law (Romans 13:8-10); therefore, when you love the brethren, you are obeying His commandments and He is able to answer your requests.

A believer's relationship to the brethren cannot be divorced from his or her prayer life. If husbands and wives are not obeying God's Word, for example, their prayers will be hindered (1 Peter 3:7).

Psalm 66:18: "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."

These verses do not, of course, give us all the conditions for answered prayer, but they emphasize the importance of obedience. One great secret of answered prayer is obedience, and the secret of obedience is love. "If ye love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15).

"If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.... If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love" (John 15:7, 10).

It is possible, of course, to keep God's commandments in a spirit of fear or servitude rather than in a spirit of love. This was the sin of the elder brother in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:24-32). A believer should keep His Father's commandments because this pleases Him. A Christian who lives to please God will discover that God finds ways to please His child. "Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart" (Psalm 37:4). When our delight is in the love of God, our desires will be in the will of God.

“Abiding” (vv. 23-24). When a scribe asked Jesus to name the greatest commandment, He replied, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God." Then He added a second commandment: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (Matthew 22:34-40). But God also gives us one commandment that takes in both God and man: "Believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another" (1 John 3:23). Faith toward God and love toward man sum up a Christian's obligations. Christianity is "faith which worketh by love" (Galatians 5:6).

Faith toward God and love toward men are two sides of the same coin. It is easy to emphasize faith—correct doctrine—and to neglect love. On the other hand, some say doctrine is not important and that love is our main responsibility. Both doctrine and love are important. When a person is justified by faith, he should know that the love of God is being shed abroad in his heart (Romans 5:1-5).

"Abiding in Christ" is a key experience for a believer who wants to have confidence toward God and enjoy answers to prayer. Jesus, in His message to the disciples in the Upper Room (John 15:1-14) illustrated "abiding." He compared His followers to the branches of a vine. So long as the branch draws its strength from the vine, it produces fruit. But if it separates itself from the vine, it withers and dies. Jesus was not talking about salvation; He was talking about fruit-bearing. The instant a sinner trusts Christ, he enters into union with Christ; but maintaining communion is a moment-by-moment responsibility. Abiding depends on our obeying His Word and keeping clean (John 15:3, 10).

As we have seen, when a believer walks in love, he finds it easy to obey God, and therefore he maintains a close communion with God. "If a man love Me, he will keep My words; and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him and make Our abode with him" (John 14:23).

The Holy Spirit is mentioned by name in 1 John for the first time in 3:24. John introduced us to the Holy One (1 John 2:20) with emphasis on the Spirit's anointing and teaching ministry. (This parallels John 14:26; 16:13-14.) But the Holy One is also the abiding Spirit (1 John 3:24; 4:13). When a believer obeys God and loves the brethren, the indwelling Holy Spirit gives him peace and confidence. The Holy Spirit abides with him forever (John 14:16), but when the Spirit is grieved, He withdraws His blessings.

The Holy Spirit is also the attesting Spirit (1 John 4:1-6), giving witness to those who are truly God's children. When a believer is abiding in Christ, the Spirit guides him and warns him of false spirits that would lead him astray. He is also the authenticating Spirit (1 John 5:6-8), bearing witness to the person and work of Jesus Christ. This witness of the Spirit is mentioned in Romans 8:14-16.

Each member of the Triune Godhead is involved in the "love life" of a believer. God the Father commands us to love one another, God the Son gave His life on the cross, the supreme example of love. And God the Holy Spirit lives within us to provide the love we need (Romans 5:5). To abide in love is to abide in God, and to abide in God is to abide in love. Christian love is not something we "work up" when we need it. Christian love is "shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit," and this is your constant experience as you abide in Christ.

There are four levels on which a person may live. He may choose the lowest level, Satan's level, and practice murder. Murderers "have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8).

Or, a person may choose the next level: hatred. But hatred, in God's sight, is the same as murder. A man who lives with hatred is slowly killing himself, not the other person! Psychiatrists warn that malice and hatred cause all kinds of physical and emotional problems.

The third level: indifference: is far better than the first two, because the first two are not Christian at all. A man who has constant hatred in his heart, or who habitually murders, proves he has never been born of God. But it is possible to be a Christian and be indifferent to the needs of others.

A man who murders belongs to the devil, like Cain. A man who hates belongs to the world (1 John 3:13), which is under Satan's control. But a Christian who is indifferent is living for the flesh, which serves Satan's purposes.

The only happy, holy way to live is on the fourth level, the level of Christian love. This is the life of joy and liberty, the life of answered prayer. It assures you confidence and courage in spite of the difficulties of life.

Confessions from Scripture: Walking in the love of God

The love of God poured into my heart: Hope doesn’t disappoint me, because God’s love has been poured out into my heart through the Holy Spirit who was given to me. {Romans 5:5}

A Spirit of Love: God did not give me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control. {2 Timothy 1:7}

Rooted and grounded in love: As a result of Christ dwelling in my heart through faith; I am being rooted and grounded in love, and strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that I may be filled with all the fullness of God. {Ephesians 3:17-19}

Walk in love: I am an imitator of God, as one of his beloved children. I walk in love, even as Christ also loved me, and gave himself up for me, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance. {Ephesians 5:1, 2}

What I am without love: If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, I am nothing. If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don’t have love, it profits me nothing. {1 Corinthians 13:1-3}

Love is: God’s love in me is patient, slow to anger or to punish and it is generous in providing aid to others; God’s love doesn’t envy. God’s love in me doesn’t brag. It is not proud or arrogant, it doesn’t behave inappropriately, it doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked or irritated, It take no account of evil done to it. God’s love in me doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness or injustice, but rejoices with the truth; bears up under all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. The love of God in me never fails. {1 Corinthians 13:4-8}

Perfecting God’s love: Because I keep Christ’s word, God’s love has been perfected in me. This is how I know that I am in him: that if I say I abide in him then I will walk just like Jesus walked. {1 John 2:5, 6}

Abide in the light: Because I love my fellow Christians I abide in God’s light, and there is no occasion for stumbling in me. {1 John 2:10}

From death to life: I know that I have passed out of death into life, because I love my fellow Christians. {1 John 3:14}

God is love: I know and have believed the love which God has for me. God is love, and when I remain in his love I remain in God, and God remains in me. In this manner love is made perfect in me, that I may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so I am in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfected love cast out my fear, because fear carries the expectation of punishment. I overcome all fear by maintaining God’s perfect standard of love in my life. {1 John 4:16-18}

Laying down my life for others: By this I know love, because Christ laid down his life for me. Therefore I will to lay down my life for my brothers and sisters. If I see one of them in need, I will not close my heart of compassion against them for I do not love in word only but in action and truth.                    {1 John 3:16-18}

Christ commandment: Christ has given me a new commandment, that I should love others, just like Jesus has loved me; so I should also love others. By this everyone will know that I am one of his disciples, because I demonstrate Christ love for others. {John 13:34, 35}

The whole law and the prophets: I love the Lord my God with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with all my mind and I love my neighbor as myself. The whole law and the prophets are summed up with these two commands. {Matthew 22:37, 39, 40}

Covering offenses: By covering over an offense I promote love; I do not repeat a matter because that would separate best friends. {Proverbs 17:9}

Owe nothing but love: I never owe anyone anything, except to love them; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. {Romans 13:8}

Faith Works By Love

The disciples told Jesus, “We need more faith” (Luke 17:5). Jesus didn’t directly answer their question because: the amount of faith is not as important as its genuineness. What is faith? It is total dependence on God and a willingness to do His will. A mustard seed is small, but it is alive and growing. Like a tiny seed, a small amount of genuine faith in God will take root and grow. The apostles didn’t need more faith; a tiny seed of faith would be enough, if it were alive and growing.

Jesus pointed to a nearby mulberry tree and said that even small faith could uproot it and send it into the sea. Mulberry trees grow quite large (as high as thirty-five feet). It is the power of God, not faith, that uproots trees and moves mountains, but faith must be present for God to work. Even a small “seed” of faith is sufficient.

We might have expected the disciples to respond with the prayer, "Increase our love!”  Certainly love is a key element in forgiveness, but faith is even more important. It takes living faith to obey these instructions and forgive others. Our obedience in forgiving others shows that we are trusting God to take care of the consequences, handle the possible misunderstandings, and work everything out for our good and His glory.

Mature Christians understand that forgiveness is not a cheap exchange of words, the way squabbling children often flippantly say "I'm sorry" to each other. True forgiveness always involves pain; somebody has been hurt and there is a price to pay in healing the wound. Love motivates us to forgive, but faith activates that forgiveness so that God can use it to work blessings in the lives of His people.

Our Lord's image of the mustard seed conveys the idea of life and growth. The mustard seed is very small, but it has life in it and, therefore, it can grow and produce fruit (Mark 4:30-32). If our faith is a living faith (James 2:14-26), it will grow and enable us to obey God's commands. "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass" (Psalm 37:5).

Forgiveness is a test of both our faith and our love. Human nature being what it is, there will always be offenses that can easily become opportunities for sin. God's people must get into the habit of facing these offenses honestly and lovingly, and forgiving others when they repent.

Faith

Luke 17:5-6:  The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

Jesus strengthens our faith by telling us (in verse 6) that the crucial issue in accomplishing great things is not the quantity of our faith, but the power of God.  He says, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”  By referring to the tiny mustard seed after being asked about increased faith, He deflects attention away from the quantity of faith to the object of faith.  God moves mulberry trees.  And it does not depend decisively on the quantity of our faith, but on His power and wisdom and love. In knowing this, we are helped not to worry about our faith and are inspired to trust God’s free initiative and power.

Concerning faith, let’s remember that God is not concerned with how much we have, but with whether our faith is truly placed in Him (Luke 17:5-6).

Jesus also used this miracle to teach us a lesson on faith. The next morning, when the disciples noticed the dead tree, Jesus said, "Have faith in God," meaning, "Constantly be trusting God; live in an attitude of dependence on Him." In Jewish imagery, a mountain signifies something strong and immovable, a problem that stands in the way (Zechariah 4:7). We can move these mountains only by trusting God.

Here are some truths relative to faith and prayer:
1) Prayer must be in the will of God (1 John 5:14-15), and the one praying must be abiding in the love of God (John 15:7-14).

2) Prayer is not an emergency measure that we turn to when we have a problem. Real prayer is a part of our constant communion with God and worship of God.

3) Nor should we interpret Mark 11:24 to mean, "If you pray hard enough and really believe, God is obligated to answer your prayers, no matter what you ask. That kind of faith is not faith in God; rather, it is nothing but faith in faith, or faith in feelings.

4) True faith in God is based on His Word (John 15:7; Romans 10:17), and His Word reveals His will to us. It has well been said that the purpose of prayer is not to get man's will done in heaven, but to get God's will done on earth.

5) True prayer involves forgiveness as well as faith. I must be in fellowship with both my Father in heaven and my brethren on earth if God is to answer my prayers (Matthew 5:21-26; 6:14-15; 18:15-35). The first word in "The Lord's Prayer" is our—"Our Father which art in heaven" and not "My Father which art in heaven." Though Christians may pray in private, no Christian ever prays alone; for all of God's people are part of a worldwide family that unites to seek God's blessing (Ephesians 3:14-15). Prayer draws us together.

6) We do not earn God's blessing by forgiving one another. Our forgiving spirit is one evidence that our hearts are right with God and that we want to obey His will, and this makes it possible for the Father to hear us and to answer prayer (Psalm 66:18). Faith works by love (Galatians 5:6). If I have faith in God, I will also have love for my brother.

If the promise of Christ, "Whatever you ask for... it shall be y o u r s" seems almost unbelievable, it should be borne in mind that such praying and asking must, of course, be in harmony with the characteristics of true prayer which Jesus reveals; in fact, it must be in line with all of scriptural teaching. Accordingly it must be the expression of:
1) a humble, childlike trust; note "believing that you received it,"
(Mark 10:15; also Matthew 7:11; 18:3, 4; James 1:6).

2) a sincere heart and mind (Mark 12:40; Matthew 6:5).

3) a will to persevere (Mark 13:13b; Matthew 7:7; Luke 18:1-8).

4) a love for all concerned (Mark 12:31, 33; Matthew 5:43-48; Luke 6:32-36).

5) a submission to God's sovereign will (Mark 14:36b; Matthew 6:10b; 26:39).

6) This also implies that such praying is "in Christ's name," that is, it is in harmony with all that Jesus has revealed concerning himself and it rests on his merits (Mark 9:37, 41; John 15:16; 16:23, 24; Ephesians 4:32; 5:20; Colossians 3:17).

Forgetting Reaching and Moving Forward

Many of us find ourselves hanging on to things that at some point have hurt us, angered us, made us feel sad, or depressed us. If we choose to hang on to them, we will never move forward and we could even create physical or medical damage to our bodies. To prevent this from happening we need to let go but no one really tells you how to let go and move forward. Sure it's easy to say: "Just let go, move forward, forget about it, just let go." But that really doesn’t work.

Why We Need to Let Go and Move Forward

Throughout our lives we go through different experiences, some are positive and some we see as negative and unpleasant. When you hang on to a negative or unpleasant experience you are constantly thinking about it. And when you constantly think about that negative event you prevent yourself from healing. How many pleasant memories do you recall everyday? Many of us have a number of unpleasant experiences that we’re holding on to, which is preventing us from moving forward.

The more you carry the worse life gets. Why? Because you've filled your mind up with negative experiences, because you continually hang on to something that doesn't allow you to move forward, in short, you're carrying useless baggage that's really slowing you down.

Think of it this way: you're on a hiking trip and along the way you keep picking up heavy objects, things that really don't serve you. After a while, these objects begin to slow you down and unless you get rid of them, you'll never complete your trip.

To let go you have to get your mind to focus on different goals and different objectives. It's not about saying: I let go of the pain from my fight with ---- and move on. That will help, but if you really want to start moving on, then you have to get your mind to focus on new things, in the process you automatically let go of the things that have been slowing you down.

How to Let Go and Move Forward

Hanging on to negative past events is a process that can destroy your life in ways you're not even aware of.

Ask yourself these pertinent questions:
1)    Do the negative things you hang on to serve you any purpose?
2)    Do they help you move forward?
3)    Do they work in your favor in any way (do they benefit you in any way)?

If you said no to any or all of the above then tell yourself this: This emotion/feeling doesn't help me so I'm letting it go and focusing on what is important. Then begin focusing on what you want next, focus on what is important and what can improve your life. This is a simple process that gets the mind moving in a new direction and you stop building negative energy created from the negative events/emotions, which only attracts more negative situations. When you begin focusing on more positive things you begin attracting positive situations.

The next step is to create an action plan; the past is over. Where do you want to go now and how do you plan to get there? You may not have the answers but merely thinking about the options forces your mind to go in a new direction and you automatically let go of unwanted feelings and emotions. The key to your success is to train your mind to move in a new direction; having new thoughts that will create the incentive to move forward.

The final step is to live in the present moment; to start living in the now. Living in the now is different than living for the moment. Living in the now is the process of enjoying everything that is going on at this present moment. Take a look around you and appreciate those things that you once thought were trivial. When you are here now you can be nowhere else. You are not hanging on to something, you are here now. I know some of you may say the following: "where I am right now really stinks, I don't want to think about it." It only stinks because you're looking at all the negative things going on. Focus on a few of the positive things anything from nature to the wonderful family you may have. This forces your mind to look at things differently, telling yourself that you’re ready for new possibilities, then you’ll begin to let go and move and reach forward.