Do you love me...

 

Do You Love Me More Than These?

"Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?" (John 21:15)

That is the question I find myself asking this morning.

Do I love the Lord Jesus and my heavenly Father more than these?

It is a big question, and one that leaves little room for self-deception. As I sit here contemplating it, I find myself asking the Holy Spirit to strip me bare and expose the truth in every area of my life. But for that to happen, I need to sit at the feet of Jesus.

My mind goes to those fortunate enough to do exactly that. The twelve disciples lived there for three years. They walked with Him, listened to His teaching, witnessed His miracles, and watched Him reveal the heart of the Father. Yet it was not only the twelve who were privileged in this way. Many gathered wherever He went. Some came to hear Him teach. Others came to be healed. Still others were simply curious.

What a privilege that must have been. Yet hearing Jesus and being changed by Jesus are not the same thing. It is one thing to hear the gospel that Jesus saves; it is something entirely different to be saved by Him.

To hear the message is one thing; to respond positively to it is another. True salvation changes a person. It changes the way they think, the way they see the world, and the way they see themselves. Everything around them may remain exactly the same, yet somehow everything looks different because they have changed.

That does not mean they suddenly become perfect. Peter certainly wasn't. The very question that inspired these thoughts, "Lovest thou Me more than these?" was asked after Peter's failure, not before it. The grace of God is not found in pretending that we never stumble. It is found in the fact that Christ restores those who belong to Him and continues His work in them.

I think every genuine believer understands what I mean. There comes a moment when the things that once seemed important begin to lose their sheen, while eternal things suddenly carry a load they never had before. You start looking at life through a different lens.

This morning, I want to sit at the feet of Jesus with intent.

I have much to do. There are responsibilities demanding attention. There are financial pressures weighing on my mind. There are concerns about tomorrow and unanswered questions. Yet all of those things must wait.

After what?

After I have sat at the feet of Jesus.

Nothing else matters until I have heard from Him.

I am not waiting for a voice from heaven. Rather, I am looking for the Holy Spirit to direct my thoughts toward His written Word. I want Scripture to guide me, correct me, encourage me, and confirm that I am hearing His voice and not merely my own.

I think of Zacchaeus climbing a tree just to catch a glimpse of Jesus. I think of the men who stripped away a roof so they could lower their paralysed friend into His presence. These were not people waiting for an opportunity to fall into their laps. They recognised their need and acted upon it. Obstacles were not reasons to quit; they were simply things to overcome.

The question is whether we possess that same determination today.

To what extent are we willing to go to hear the voice of Jesus?

Or have we become comfortable, expecting everything to come easily? We live in a world that constantly tells us that we deserve happiness, success, and more. But why? On what basis do we make such claims?

Stay with me for a moment, because this matters.

God, who was and who is, decided, before time existed, to write a script, recorded for us many epochs later, the Bible. If you are not willing to refer to the Bible as your go-to manual, you will continue to think that way. He decided to call light out of the darkness and to separate the light from the darkness. He then went on to create what we see with our own eyes, the undisputed fact that creation exists.

The gainsayer looks to dispute that fact. He and many a scientist speak of the Big Bang, with some other concoctions and lies in the mix. The Bible is crystal clear on how we came into existence. You either believe it, or you don't. You either sit at the feet of Jesus, or you don't.

On the sixth day of His master plan, He created man, and out of man He created a woman. They had children, and Cain then killed Abel. Murdered his brother. The proof that sin was alive and thriving even in the early days of creation.

So, from the beginning we were born with a gene that affects our brain and thought patterns, known as sin, no different to a chronic deformity or flaw that affects a person's life from birth. A person born blind remains blind; that is their lot in life. Every person born of a woman is a sinner; that is our lot in life. End story.

But one does not need the Bible to understand that one is a sinner. Ask yourself the simple question. Have you ever told a lie, even just once in your life? What does that make you? A liar, which is a fruit of sin. If we are honest with ourselves, we will understand that we will be found wanting and that we need a Saviour to rescue us from the judgment to come. The Bible is once again clear on that point. Judgement is coming for all. No one will escape unless their encounter whilst sitting at the feet of Jesus brought about genuine change.

Which brings me back to the question that has occupied my thoughts this morning. After His resurrection, Jesus asked Peter a question that has echoed through the centuries and finds its way into my own heart today:

"Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?" (John 21:15)

Jesus was not seeking information. He already knew Peter's heart. The question was designed to expose Peter's heart to Peter, and perhaps that is exactly what it is intended to do for us as well.

Do I love Jesus more than these?

Do I love Him more than the blessings He has given me?

Do I love Him more than my plans, ambitions, comforts, possessions, and dreams?

Perhaps more challenging still, do I love Him more than my struggles, fears, disappointments, and financial pressures? Have the cares of this life become so large in my thinking that they have quietly occupied the place that belongs to Christ alone?

How can I measure that?

Perhaps the answer is found in every relationship we value. If my wants continually take priority over the person I claim to love, then my actions reveal the truth about my affections. The crowds often followed Jesus because they wanted bread and fish. They were happy to receive from Him, but many were unwilling to follow Him. Yet there were others whose desperation drove them beyond convenience. The men who carried their friend to the roof believed that only Jesus could help him, and their actions proved it.

As I sit here this morning, I find myself returning once again to the same question.

Do you love Me more than these?

Only I can answer that for myself, and only you can answer it for yourself.

Signing out,

Tyrone

 

Related passages: John 21:15-19; Luke 19:1-10; Mark 2:1-12; Genesis 4:1-16.