John 21:15-19
For about two weeks we have had a stray dog wandering through our neighborhood. It seems most likely that he has been dropped off and abandoned by his previous owner. In researching his breed it seems like he is deeply loyal to one owner and is very aloof or distant from strangers. That is why it is so hard to get close to him to even toss him some food. If you think about it from the dog’s perspective, he was abandoned by the one that he loved and now he is running from those who want to catch him and show him love. Love is an interesting subject. We need it and want it and yet we often run from it. In John 21 Jesus has a deeply intimate and yet public conversation with Peter who had previously denied Him publicly three times. In verses 15-19 Jesus questions Peter three times about his love. In these verses Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Each time Peter responds affirming that in fact he does love Jesus. The central point of these questions from God is to get Peter to make that affirmation. Each time Peter reaffirms his love for Jesus he is given a job to serve and display God’s love to others. Jesus was not about to discard Peter because of his failure. Instead, Jesus sought to restore and reconcile Peter to a life of intentional service for God’s church. Today, like Peter, following Jesus is based on Christ’s call and not on how we feel. We may feel very unworthy and undeserving, yet Jesus calls us to follow Him. Our service for God must be based on our love for Him. Loving actions without the compassion and grace of Jesus as our foundation lack depth and a connection with Jesus. Just like Peter we can hear Jesus ask us, “Do you love me?”
For more see QUESTIONS FROM GOD
For about two weeks we have had a stray dog wandering through our neighborhood. It seems most likely that he has been dropped off and abandoned by his previous owner. In researching his breed it seems like he is deeply loyal to one owner and is very aloof or distant from strangers. That is why it is so hard to get close to him to even toss him some food. If you think about it from the dog’s perspective, he was abandoned by the one that he loved and now he is running from those who want to catch him and show him love. Love is an interesting subject. We need it and want it and yet we often run from it. In John 21 Jesus has a deeply intimate and yet public conversation with Peter who had previously denied Him publicly three times. In verses 15-19 Jesus questions Peter three times about his love. In these verses Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Each time Peter responds affirming that in fact he does love Jesus. The central point of these questions from God is to get Peter to make that affirmation. Each time Peter reaffirms his love for Jesus he is given a job to serve and display God’s love to others. Jesus was not about to discard Peter because of his failure. Instead, Jesus sought to restore and reconcile Peter to a life of intentional service for God’s church. Today, like Peter, following Jesus is based on Christ’s call and not on how we feel. We may feel very unworthy and undeserving, yet Jesus calls us to follow Him. Our service for God must be based on our love for Him. Loving actions without the compassion and grace of Jesus as our foundation lack depth and a connection with Jesus. Just like Peter we can hear Jesus ask us, “Do you love me?”
For more see QUESTIONS FROM GOD
RSS Feed