Readings for today: 2 Samuel 19:11-20:13, John 21, Psalms 120, Proverbs 16:16-17
“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" (John 21:15)
It’s THE defining question of our age. The fundamental question of our existence. It separates the follower of Jesus from the fan. The true believer from the casual. And eternity literally rides on our answer. Do we love Jesus more? More than anything else in our lives? More than out possessions? More than our family? More than ourselves? Essentially a restatement of the First Commandment - Thou shalt have no other gods before Me - and Jesus’ own summary of the Law - You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength - Jesus’ question cuts right to the heart of our faith. Do we truly believe in Christ? Are we truly a follower of Christ? If so, we will seek to love Jesus more than anything else in our lives. We will place Him first. We will prioritize our relationship with Him above all other activities and responsibilities. We will make become like Him our primary goal in life.
Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these? Do you love me more than this world? Think about all you have seen in the last three years. Think about the miracles you’ve witnessed. Do you remember when I healed your mother-in-law? Remember when I cast out all those demons? Remember when I raised the dead? Those were signs, Simon, of a new world. A new Kingdom. My world coming into your world. Do you remember standing on top of the mountain and seeing Me in all My glory? Transfigured before your very eyes? The veil between your world and mine grew thin in that moment. Do you remember all I taught you about my world? About love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self-control? These are the ways of the my world. And what I want to know is do you love my world more than you love your own? Do you love my ways more than you love your own? Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?
Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these? Do you love Me more than your old life? Look around you. Does any of this ring a bell? Do you remember this is the very place I found you. The very place I first called you. Do you remember you’d been fishing all night and were tired. And I asked you to take me back out again. Cast out your nets. See what happens. You did what I asked though I could tell you thought I was crazy. And you brought in such a catch that your nets began to break and your boats began to sink. In that moment, you caught a glimpse of who I was. The Lord of heaven and earth. So when we got to shore and I asked you to give up everything and come follow Me…you did. Now I’m asking again. Do you love Me more than these? More than this old life? More than the boats and the nets and the fish? More than what’s familiar? More than what’s comfortable? More than what you know? Do you love Me more than your home? More than your business? More than your lifestyle? More than your community? Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?
Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these? More than your family? More than your closest friends? More than these other disciples who are here with you? This isn’t a competition. I’m not asking you to be the best disciple or the first disciple or the most devoted disciple. I’m not asking you to stop loving them or loving your family. I am simply asking if you love Me more? Do you love Me supremely? Do you love Me with all your heart, soul, mind and strength? Do you love Me above everything else in your life including your closest relationships? Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?
Such a challenging question. As I said, it cuts the heart of who we are and what we love. You see, friends, Jesus demands that we love Him more than anything else in our lives. More than this world. More than the things of this world. More than our jobs. More than our lifestyles. More than our town. More than our neighborhood. More than our closest friends. More than our kids. More than our spouses. More than we love ourselves. And this is the secret to the Christian life. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. Lose your life for my sake and you will find it. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and then you will be able to love your neighbor as yourself. Everything starts with the love of God. Everything flows from the love of God. Everything has its source in the love of God. You want to have the best marriage? Love Jesus more than you love your wife or husband. You want to be the best parent? Love Jesus more than you love your kids. If you’re single, do you want to be the best friend or future spouse you can be? Love Jesus more. You want to be the best employer or employee? Love Jesus more than your work. You want to be the best neighbor? Love Jesus more than you love your community. You want to be the best person you can be? Love Jesus more than you love yourself. Do you want true peace and contentment? Define your life by Jesus. Align your life with Jesus. Ground your identity in Jesus. Loving Jesus supremely allows us to love others and other things appropriately. Loving Jesus first allows all our other loves to fall into their proper place. So make Christ your greatest treasure. Love Him more than these...
Readings for tomorrow: 2 Samuel 20:14-21:22, Acts 1, Psalms 121, Proverbs 16:18