What is truly awesome about following Jesus is that God has made it simple, maybe not easy because of our contrary and sinful nature that must be put to death.  But the beautiful thing is that the longer you meditate on and examine the scriptures the more the Holy Spirit unveils how great and magnificent God and His love truly is. Beyond that the scripture reveals how Jesus lived a life that models the life we can live when obediently following His commands.  Free in Christ, to love God and love other people.  The joy that we can experience in following Jesus depends on our desire to walk in that relationship with Jesus allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us in living right.  Of course, that does require the control of the Holy Spirit in our lives and the continuous fueling of the Word of God in our mind and soul.  Living right was last Sunday’s sermon from 1 Peter.  There were three primary instructions Peter gave for living right in order to live differently!  Can you recall the three instructions?

It was simple and to the point although remembering them may not be quite that way. Maybe some clues would help you remember.  Believers are encouraged to “be”, to reflect characteristics that would be strengths for living right.  They are to be like -minded, centering their lives on the things above, focusing on the centrality of Jesus in everything they do. They are to be sympathetic, caring deeply about the needs, joys and sorrows of others.  They are to love other believers with brotherly love, the mark of being followers of Jesus.  They are to be compassionate demonstrating mercy grace and forgiveness. They are to wrap all of these things in humility that says others are more important and that God is the only source of the characteristics they may practice. Did that help you remember?

There was another way for believers to live right and that was in how they respond to adversity.  They are never to pay back evil for evil treatment like the world would do.  They are not to rebut insults to those who insult them even if they may deserve such rebuttal.  Believers do the unexpected, they return a blessing, asking God to show favor to the one or ones casting the insults or doing the evil. The believer does so because we are blessed with mercy and grace that God will bring to completion in the last day. Did that help at all?

The believer is to live right by living with God’s standards always in mind.  Whether it is in our speech, our behavior, or our relationship with God we should seek to be consistent in our obedience to God and His commands, so that our testimony is never compromised, because God is always watching over His own in fellowship through hearing our prayer and encouraging our life in Christ.  Are you still trying to remember?

Maybe this will help, three things we do as believers to live differently are:

Live right with fellow believers, live right with unbelievers, and live right with integrity.  Now that you remember, go out and do it!