“Do You Love Me More Than These?”

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 

“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, 

“Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”

— John 21:15 —

The question Jesus asks Peter has everything to do with priorities. Peter, Andrew, James and John worked as fishermen. The statement Peter makes here is more of a declaration that he was going back to what he knew before he met Jesus three years before.

Jesus is asking us the same question: Do we love Him more than these? We’re not talking about fish, but rather, self, money and family.

Paul warned Timothy, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self” (2 Tim. 3:1–2). Do we seriously believe we’re the first people ever to be so consumed with self? It’s expressed in different ways — selfies, “Have it your way!”, “I’ve gotta have my music!” TV commercials overwhelm us with the idea that we’re the center of the universe; that we’re the standard; that what we think and do is the most important thing. Social media (Facebook, Twitter) urges us to tell the entire world what we think because what we think should matter to everyone, right?

Paul spoke of the promotion of self-made worship (Col. 2:23). Again, we’re in the twenty-first century thinking first-century thoughts! We’re doing what mankind has almost always done: putting self first. Remember, Paul spoke of difficult days where the first thing listed was the love of self. How dangerous self-love is.

When we’re consumed by self, God’s desires don’t really matter so much to us — they might coincide, or they might not. But when we think we matter more than anything, then we’ll ignore what God’s word teaches (Titus 2:11–15). And so we worship the way we want, buying into one of the biggest lies Satan’s ever told us: that it doesn’t matter to God how we worship as long we’re going to the church of our choice!

Jesus said, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23–24). “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:25).

Paul put it this way: “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:1–2). Self is the worst standard when it comes to worshipping our Creator — “because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen” (Rom. 1:25).

Right alongside the misplaced priority of self is the love of money (2 Tim. 3:2). Being moved by the Holy Spirit of God, the apostle Paul wrote, “But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Tim. 6:6–10). Later in the same context he then added: “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life” (1 Tim. 6:17–19). As Solomon put it: “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it” (Prov. 15:16).

Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matt. 6:24; also read Luke 12:13–21). So why do we try? Do we believe we’re the exception to the rule?

Finally, we can be guilty of putting our families above God: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). Jesus didn’t say it would be difficult to be his disciple by putting self and family first, he said we cannot do it.

Do we love Jesus more than these?

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). 

If you love me, you will keep my commandments (John 14:15).

Speaking the Truth in Love

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in 

every way into him who is the head, into Christ

—Ephesians 4:15—

He who speaks truth declares righteousness, 

but a false witness, deceit.

—Proverbs 12:17—

Not everyone who had the face-to-face opportunity to speak to Jesus while he was on earth used it well. Quite frankly it seems that hardly anyone did. But when the rich young ruler came to Jesus, he asked him an extremely important question: “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

What I find most interesting is that what the Lord says in quick response was an essential snapshot of Mosaic Law. “You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” The excitement in this man’s reply to Jesus is unmistakable: “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And with a cursory glance into the text we might think the conversation between Jesus and this man was done. But it wasn’t.

The full story of the rich young ruler and Jesus is found in Matthew (19:16–22), Mark (10:17–22) and Luke (18:18–23). One of the most significant details of this story, however, is only found in Mark. We find there: “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Mark 10:21).

Jesus loved this man. Some suggest that Jesus felt love for him because of his charm, but there’s nothing in the text of any one of the gospel accounts that would manifest this. It might be—and this just as speculative as anyone else’s guess—that Jesus’ love toward him was because of what he was about to tell him, knowing (possibly) the outcome. We don’t know, but what we do know—again—is that Jesus loved this man and told him the difficult truth that he needed.

The apostle Paul warned Timothy: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Tim. 4:1–4).

Earlier in this second letter to Timothy, the apostle foretold “that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Tim. 3:1–4).

We might believe that Paul was exclusively referring to our day and time. Alas, what he wrote could serve as divine commentary to practically all of mankind’s history. We too often give lip-service to truth, much like those in Jesus’ day (Mark 7:1–13), but we don’t want anyone to judge us on what we do (see Matt. 7:24–27). We offer platitudes while forging ahead living the way we want (Psalm 78:34–39).

We desperately need to love the truth (Psalm 119:160; Prov. 23:23; John 8:31–32; 17:17), and love those who are willing to tell us the truth (Prov. 12:17–22; 14:5, 25; Heb. 13:17–18). Paul insisted that he and the others who taught the truth had “renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Cor. 4:2).

There are very many who do not love the truth (2 Thess. 2:9–12). They have itching ears, accumulating teachers that entertain them. “And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle . . . These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. For . . . they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption” (2 Pet. 2:2–3, 17–19).

Jesus loved the rich young ruler, and spoke the truth in love. “Disheartened by the saying, [the ruler] went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (Mark 10:22). Jesus didn’t run after him begging him or coercing him into obedience. The truth from Jesus’ mouth accomplished what he purposed, and succeeded in the thing for which he sent it (Isa. 55:11).

Consumer Christianity

Our culture is all about the consumer. We hear and believe things like—“The consumer is always right.” And the real problem comes into focus when we find people applying the consumer mindset to God, His church, and salvation. For example, the notion that one church is as good as another, or that we’re all heading to heaven in different ways. The expression, “Go to the church of your choice” seems to summarize the religious person’s consumer mindset.

One writer put it this way—“Every church has the problem of Consumer Christians: people who attend, sing, listen, drop in some money, and go home.” The point is simple enough: Consumer Christians lack a genuine connection to the Lord (they don’t understand the relationship He seeks with us) and even the relationships they are supposed to be a part of with other disciples: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24–25). Or, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10).

These Consumer Christians among us have essentially left their first love (Revelation 2:4) if they ever had that love in the first place. And once they are dissatisfied—whether they find themselves disappointed in people or in God—they go shopping somewhere else to find what they’re looking for. “Self-made religion” is what the apostle Paul called it (Colossians 2:23). It existed in his day, and continues in ours.

When Paul wrote Timothy, he gave him the solemn charge to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:2–4).

With a consumer mindset, people look to God and the congregation of believers they are part of in a number of misdirected and dangerous ways.

Some will look to God as a harsh taskmaster that they really don’t want anything to do with; that He’s aloof and detached from real problems. He’s there, but He’s not attentive. They will look to the congregation as something they’re not a part of, speaking in terms of “What they do …” rather than, “What we’re doing.” The Consumer Christian doesn’t simply have high expectations, they have unrealistic and often subjective expectations they hold to firmly in their unfair condemnation of others without first considering themselves; that these high expectations (and rules) don’t apply to them, but do apply to everyone else.

We’re all going to fail one another at one time or another. We’re all going to disappoint one another, but when we eagerly show compassion and love to one another, we won’t hold it against anyone that they’ve failed us because we realize that we, too, fail others. “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart … Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 1:22; 4:8).

Rather than being a Consumer Christian, we need to strive to be a Servant just like our Lord and Savior—“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). When we serve one another from a genuine heart of love we will “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:15–16).

Instead of us asking what others could do for us, we need to ask what we could do to help others. “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

“Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding. … For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends” (2 Corinthians 10:12, 18).

Don’t be a Consumer Christian.

God and Judas Iscariot

“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.”

— 2 Thessalonians 2:7 —

Where do we begin? Evil exists, ultimately, because we have been designed by our Creator to make free will choices; to discern between right and wrong. Again, be design we are free to choose; God does not coerce us into making the right choices to His name’s glory. Furthermore, He will judge everything in perfect justice in the end (Romans 14:10–12; 1 Corinthians 4:3–5; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Hebrews 9:27).

Free will is wonderful until someone’s free will adversely affects us, directly or indirectly. As when we were in school and one student made the dumb decision to act up; and then we all suffered the consequences.

Again, God allows things to be done—the good and the bad—and He will judge it all: every idle word we say (Matthew 12:36–37) and every thought and intention of our hearts (Hebrews 4:12–13). He didn’t stop Judas Iscariot from betraying His Son into the ruthless hands of the Jews (John 18:2, 5). “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. … What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:28, 31–32).

It’s not that God causes all things … He causes all things to work together (the Greek word sunergeō from which our word “synergy” comes from) for good. And for good to those who love Him! Truly, God’s grace toward us when we were helpless, when we were ungodly, is stunning! God should be praised for His indescribable gift (Romans 5:6–9; 2 Corinthians 9:15).

The first couple of chapters of the first book in the Bible describes a beautiful and sinless place identified as the Garden of Eden (2:8). We’re informed that in the beginning God “saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). But something happened …

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.’” And the serpent said to the woman, “You surely shall not die!” (Genesis 3:1–4)

The word of God is clear that Eve was deceived (2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 2:14). But what Adam did was poorly discern between right and wrong: and he chose wrong, he chose to do that which was evil in the sight of God—he sinned. And there were immediate and far-reaching consequences. To this day we bear in ourselves the consequences of Adam’s sin (Romans 5:12). We do not bear his guilt—that’s on him (see Romans 5:14)—but when we ourselves sin against God’s will, that’s on us. “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin” (Romans 7:24–25).

In Solomon’s assessment, “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God” (Ecclesiastes 8:11–13).

All is not hopeless. We must depend upon the promises of God (see Hebrews 6:13–20). “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9–11).

The Faith of Demons

You believe that God is one; you do well. 

Even the demons believe—and shudder! 

(James 2:19)

In referring to the imperative nature of having an active faith, the writer of the book of Hebrews admonishes us: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. … By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. … And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:1, 3, 6). What he writes here reminds us of Solomon’s foundation to knowledge which leads us to wisdom and instruction: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7).

But when we use the word “faith” we’re not just saying that we believe a certain set of facts without them effecting change in us. If we did, then we would be manifesting the faith of demons, who believe in God’s existence and shudder, but this realization or concession doesn’t effect change in them.

Consider what William Barclay wrote about this demon-like faith: “There is belief which is purely intellectual. For instance, I believe that the square on the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle equals the sum of the squares on the other two sides; and if I had to, I could prove it—but it makes no difference to my life and living. I accept it, but it has no effect upon me. … What James is arguing against is the … acceptance of a fact without allowing it to have any influence upon life” (The Letters of James and Peter, 73).

Is it any wonder, then, that the first word of the gospel is “repent”? The apostle Peter was asked “What shall we do?” after his audience had heard that they crucified Jesus who is Lord and Christ. Peter replied, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:37–38). Again, the first thing he said to them was repent. Those with a demon-like faith would have simply walked away; but “those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41).

Repentance is not merely accepting the need to change our minds, but it is a call from God for us to conform to his will. Allowing the Bible to serve as its own commentary, we read Paul’s definition of what repentance is: “that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit; and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth” (Ephesians 4:22–24).

What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can that faith save him? And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, and one of you tells them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled;” and yet you did not give them the things the body needs, what good is it? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself (James 2:14–17).

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things which I say? Everyone who comes to me, and hears my words, and does them, I will show you who he is like. He is like a man building a house, who dug and went deep, and laid a foundation on the rock. When a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it was founded on the rock. But he who hears, and doesn’t do, is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great” (Luke 6:46–49).

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:1–2).

That Is Not the Way You Learned Christ

They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus.

—Ephesians 4:19–21—

It’s easy to claim to be a follower of Jesus. Anyone can do it! There are many people who firmly (and sincerely) believe that it doesn’t really matter how they behave if they simply believe. The Lord didn’t teach this, and neither did his apostles.

Jesus said, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great” (Luke 6:46–49).

In the context of our reading from Ephesians 4, the apostle Paul is urging them not to be like the culture around them, living in the futility of their minds: they’re to be different by putting off their former manner of life, being renewed in the spirit of their minds, and putting on the new self—

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:17–24).

The truth of God in the first century is the truth of God in the twenty-first century! God seeks in us a change, a difference from the world in which we live. It’s not always easy to be different than our surroundings, but we can do it if we’ll trust the Lord and follow his commands; and his commands are not burdensome (John 12:50 / 1 John 5:3).

It’s not just about reading the Bible, it’s about allowing God’s word into our hearts and minds—meditating (thinking) on his word (Psalms 1:2 / 19:4 / 63:5-7 / 119:15 / Philippians 4:8-9); spending time with his word, focusing on what matters most (1 Peter 1:13). The thing is, we’re all busy in our own ways, but we all know we should be making the best use of the time God is giving us (Colossians 4:5). We need to prioritize our priorities (Matthew 5:20 / 6:33). There’s a need to have some “down time,” but we don’t need to dwell there!

As the apostle Paul defended himself before King Agrippa, he said, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance” (Acts 26:19–20).

God still calls us to repent, turn to him, and do the things he commands in his word (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It’s not merely a matter of what we believe, but what we do (James 1:19-25 / Ephesians 2:8-10). It’s not just that we stop doing bad things (repenting) but that we do the right things. “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17). As the ESV Study Bible explains: “It is not only what people do that matters; the good that they fail to do is equally important to God.”

Pursue Love

If one member suffers, all suffer together; 

if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 

—1 Corinthians 12:26—

The word “love” is used 213 times in the New Testament (ESV). It’s used the most in the first letter of John (36 times) and in his gospel (26). The main point I want to underscore from this is that love is a very important concept from God to man—“For God so loved the world …” (John 3:16). And it’s not merely that God loved us, but that His kind intention is that we love one another.

The love God has for us is supposed to be shared by us toward one another:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1 John 4:7–11).

Jesus taught the apostles—“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34–35). The thing is, we know this … there’s nothing new to us in reading this passage.

But why is loving our brother sometimes difficult? Maybe we’d point the finger to our difficult brother! In all seriousness, the issue is not one-sided—it never has been, nor will it ever be. Indeed, there are those who make it challenging to be loved, but our Lord doesn’t admonish us to only love those who love us back. The harder thing is loving those who don’t love us back (and our Savior knows this better than anyone).

Jesus taught that we’re to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44). I would hope we never consider a brother or sister as an enemy, but even if we did, we’re supposed to love our enemies and therefore love our brethren! We’re to strive to be perfect as our heavenly Father and love everyone (Matthew 5:43–48).

John wrote: “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:15–16).

Paul admonishes: “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:1–5).

How do we go about pursuing love?

1. We need to hold in the highest esteem love as God does—“God is love” (1 John 4:8). “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. Pursue love” (1 Corinthians 13:13–14:1). As Paul would conclude in his first letter to the Corinthians—“Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14).
2. Pray for one another (James 5:16). Selfishness is sinful (Philippians 2:3; James 3:13–18), but some pray selfishly. Our prayers should include others; we certainly want others praying for us, so we should pray for others. Jesus prayed for Peter (Luke 22:31–32). Jesus intercedes for us (Romans 8:34). Paul asked for prayers and we’re sure he received them (Ephesians 6:18–19).
3. Remember that Christ died for all of us—that His gift of love and forgiveness is for all the ungodly (Romans 5:6, 8; Ephesians 5:2; John 6:51; 1 John 2:2).
4. Be genuine in our love for others (Romans 12:9). We know the importance of really being loved; God has done this for us, we should be willing to do this for one another—“And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24–25).