Becoming Like Jesus: Confession and RepentanceSample

The Way of Love

As we close out this Plan on the spiritual disciplines of confession and repentance, we are going to let Jesus remind us what matters most. Because honest confession and wholehearted repentance will always lead to the same place.

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Pray…

Heavenly Father, thank you for taking me on this journey. Thank you for teaching me how to be honest about what’s on the inside. Thank you for helping me change what’s on the outside. Keep making me more like Jesus. Keep helping me to love others. All I am is yours. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Read…

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other.” John 15:9-17 NLT

Consider….

Confession and repentance is the practice of agreeing with God and aiming our lives toward God. We do this by admitting we’ve sinned, begging for mercy, and changing our ways. We choose to be honest about what’s on the inside and we ask the Holy Spirit to help us change what’s on the outside. Every time we do, we will find ourselves back in the warm embrace of our loving Father, and wrapped up in the love of Jesus.

Jesus loves you. And He is inviting you to remain in His love. This is the vision He has for your life—life so connected with His that there is no separation between you. He made it possible for you to have this kind of life through His death and resurrection. But in order for you to experience it, you have to be willing to obey His commands.

When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

Jesus isn’t some ruthless dictator who demands our obedience to stroke His own ego. He’s a loving friend who wants us to choose obedience so that we can be filled with joy and remain in His love.

This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Every act of confession and repentance is meant to help us make our home in Jesus’ love and to shape us into the kind of people who can truly love others just as God has loved us.

When you mess up, and you will mess up, remember that God’s mercy is so much bigger than your mistakes, and when you call out to Him, He will respond. When you are having a hard time getting back on your feet, remember that the Holy Spirit is alive inside you and He will empower you to keep moving forward. When you lose sight of what all this is for, remember what Jesus did for you on the cross and the new future you get to have with Him.

Because honest confession and wholehearted repentance always lead us to the same place: the love of our savior.

Practice…

Choose the way of love.

Commit to making these disciplines, confession and repentance, a regular part of your discipleship rhythms. When you fall short, remember the ABCs: Admit you’ve sinned. Beg for mercy. Change your ways.

If you’re interested in learning more about spiritual disciplines and how to make Jesus’ habits your habits, check out the other Plans in the Becoming Like Jesus collection.

Listen…

Find a quiet place where you can continue to spend time with God. Maybe you have a favorite chair, a certain spot in your backyard, or a particularly cozy closet. Wherever you need to go to limit distractions, do it.

Set a timer for five-ten minutes. Ask God to speak to you. When you get distracted, come back to God by praying this Scripture:

Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Psalm 86:11 NLT

When the timer ends, thank God for the time you spent together and go into your day looking for opportunities to love Him and love others.