Perfected in HIM through forgiveness
SERIES 1
Introduction
Hi Family
A study of God’s commandments old and new has given me a fresh perspective on life itself, reading the words of Jesus has convicted me, blessed me, brought joy, and quiet reflection.
I started to question why His commandments are not principle in the teachings I’ve heard from pastors – they are obviously important but have somehow been overlooked.
I’ve asked friends if they know the commandments of Jesus and often the response has been a mute silence or a slight sense of embarrassment.
So, the question I’m asking every believer is to ask yourself: what commands did Jesus instruct his disciples to teach to us, and, more importantly, do we know them?
I would expect the commands of Jesus to be wrapped in gold, sealed and brought out with pomp & ceremony and read aloud by every preacher, because Jesus clearly states His disciples should “teach all nations to observe all things whatsoever HE has commanded”.
The Bible says:
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying,
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
“Amen.”
Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV
“Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.”
As we can see, creating disciples and teaching them to observe all things He commanded is clearly not a soft request.
The good news is that the apostles obeyed that commandment and we can see the continuance of this command.
The succession of this commandment has been observed and followed throughout the ages; hence today, in our time as followers of Christ we are not strangers to this truth of His commandments.
However, as I stated earlier, this principle of observing His commandments has somewhat faded into the background and has lost its potency; it has been replaced by motivational, self esteem and self empowerment books from pastors who are not declaring the commandments as the primary source of supplication, but rather the study of their own books.
Before we delve into Jesus’s commandments let’s take a quick overview and see what the holy scriptures states about knowing His commandments.
The Bible says:
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”
John 15:10 NKJV
“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says,
“I know Him,”
and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”
I John 2:3-6 NKJV
“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”
I John 5:3 NKJV
“And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.”
I John 3:23 NKJV
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
John 14:15 NKJV
Now coming into our generation today, we should be learning these commandments to gain deeper truth; my understanding is that in Christ Jesus we would have completeness If we follow his commandments.
At the start of this article I mentioned I John 2:3-6 NKJV, which says “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.”
Therefore, I have to summarise that, in knowing Him is to know His commandments and acknowledgment of this truth, which is further driven home when Jesus says:
“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
“And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
“And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”
Matthew 7:22-29 KJV
So, if we don’t follow His commandments it is very clear that He will not recognise us.
Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty man.
Ecclesiastes 12:13
To “fear God and keep his commandments” is to learn to be and to discover the secret of being a whole person.
In this series of articles I plan to go through all the Commandments I can find and understand and highlight the benefits of obeying His commandments – not only through scripture, but through medical journals: scientific journals, psychological journals – in fact any area of life where people are talking about peace of mind, self help etc,
I believe the Commandments say it all and through in-depth study I believe we will see the wisdom of Christ and why His Commandments can help us in our lives.
FORGIVENESS
As you forgive other people, God will forgive you.
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
Matthew 6:12 KJV
“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
“But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
Mark 11:25-26 KJV
The famous Mayo Clinic has written an article about non-forgiveness and the damage it causes as well as the benefits of forgiving people.
Here’s a snapshot summary of the article:
What are the effects of holding a grudge?
If you’re unforgiving, you might:
- Bring anger and bitterness into every relationship and new experience
- Become so wrapped up in the wrong that you can’t enjoy the present
- Become depressed or anxious
- Feel that your life lacks meaning or purpose, or that you’re at odds with your spiritual beliefs
- Lose valuable and enriching connectedness with others
What are the benefits of forgiving someone?
Letting go of grudges and bitterness can make way for improved health and peace of mind:
- Lead to healthier relationships
- Improved mental health
- Less anxiety, stress and hostility
- Lower blood pressure
- Fewer symptoms of depression
- A stronger immune system
- Improved heart health
- Improved self-esteem
What if I’m the one who needs forgiveness?
The first step is to honestly assess and acknowledge the wrongs you’ve done and how they have affected others.
Avoid judging yourself too harshly.
If you’re truly sorry for something you’ve said or done, consider admitting it to those you’ve harmed.
Speak of your sincere sorrow or regret, and ask for forgiveness — without making excuses.
Remember however, you can’t force someone to forgive you; others need to move to forgiveness in their own time.
Whatever happens, commit to treating others with compassion, empathy and respect.
SoulPancake has also carried out some significant research around the value of forgiveness.
THE MAIN TAKEAWAY
By following Jesus’ Commandment of forgiving each other we can have healthier relationships, improved mental health, less anxiety, stress and hostility: lower blood pressure, fewer symptoms of depression, a stronger immune system; improved heart health and improved self-esteem.
WOW!
Now that’s established, let’s look at our current state of affairs.
As the world suffers with emotional stress: depression, sadness, regret; poverty, jealousy, heartaches, divorce; mental disorders, sickness, low self esteem etc, it’s no secret that Christians suffer with these same things too.
But there’s a huge difference in how a Christian will confront these issues versus the world.
The difference is, we privately go to our prayer closets or join prayer groups to pray and ask our loving God to deal with the issue at hand and we grow in confidence the more we pray – as we see The Lord deliver His divine solution to our prayers.
Your faith is carefully being knit together each time you hear the word of GOD.
“But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Therefore it’s important to hear the Word of GOD.
So, why are we hearing from the pews and pulpits or zoom pulpits everything but the Word of God, especially the Commandments of Jesus?
Important Commandments from Jesus, which are the very instructional divine guidance of information we need to navigate this world.
In Psalms 55:22 it says:
“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
But in today’s world, we cast our burdens elsewhere and are encouraged to seek help from Christian counsellors rather than be guided towards the Word.
In fact, we are shown books in the Amazon Store to purchase from the latest hot pastor of the day.
Here are lists of books that are written by pastors, designed I would assume to lighten your burdens.
Let’s start with JOEL OSTEEN
- Daily Readings from Your Best Life Now: 90 Devotions for Living at Your Full Potential (2005)
- Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day (2007)[70]
- You Can You Will: 8 Undeniable Qualities of a Winner (2014)
- Think Better, Live Better: A Victorious Life Begins in Your Mind (2016)
- Next Level Thinking: 10 Powerful Thoughts for a Successful and Abundant Life (2018)
- You Are Stronger than You Think: Unleash the Power to Go Bigger, Go Bold, and Go Beyond What Limits You (2021)
At this point, if you didn’t know Joel was a preacher these titles would fit perfectly into the library’s top motivational books.
Let’s look at TD JAKES
- Loose That Man And Let Him Go
- Loose That Man And Let Him Go Workbook
- Reposition Yourself: Living a Life Without Limits
- He-Motions: Even Strong Men Struggle
- Ten Commandments of Working in a Hostile Environment
What about CREFLO DOLLAR
- Total life prosperity
- How to Trouble to Trouble
- You’re Supposed to Be Wealthy
A lot of these titles would also fit perfectly into the library’s top motivational books series.
Wow.
There’s sooo many books addressing sooo many problems, when the truth is the answers to all of these problems are found in the Commandments of Jesus, and the promise of God’s care over your life in Psalms 55:22
Brothers and Sisters, we need to pause and start thinking about the real rules of engagement.
Remember Jesus said:
“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Matthew 7:22-23 KJV
The King Jesus Christ also said the following:
“If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray (to) the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever (sig); even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”
John 14:15-18 KJV
Now is the time to focus on King Jesus only and pay attention to His Commandments because, if we love Him, we will keep them.
“Everyone who goes ahead and does not remain true to what the Messiah has taught does not have God. Those who remain true to his teaching have both the Father and the Son. If someone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, don’t welcome him into your home. Don’t even say, “Shalom!” to him; for the person who says, “Shalom!” to him shares in his evil deeds.”
2 Yochanan (2 Jo) 1:9-11 CJB
Just the simple fact of acknowledging you need to ask for forgiveness and also forgive others can cure a world of ills.
Blessings Ron
It Has Been Said 