By Russ Atmore
I
suppose this is the real test. Jesus asked Simon Peter on that sandy
beach so long ago, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” (John
21:15,16,17). Two thousand years later, Jesus still asks the same
question, “do you love Me?” The King of kings desires and demands our
love. For us, to offer mediocrity in return just will not do. That is
why the supreme sacrifice for Jesus is your life. We must say with the
beloved disciple, “We love Him, because He first loved us.” This is the
issue – we love our Lord because He loves us. His love is ongoing,
unchanging, unfaltering, unending, undying, unbelievable.
The Torah (five books of Moses – Pentateuch), exhorts Israel to love God
with all their heart, soul and strength. Jesus identified this verse in
Matthew 22:37, as the great and foremost commandment. This is the
context of Simon Peter’s response – He is being asked to simply love God
with everything that he is. Peter would have linked Jesus’ question with
Deuteronomy 6. it was the resurrected Christ that was asking him. It was
God in the flesh. There is no doubt in Peter’s mind as to who Jesus is.
He is God. Peter’s understanding is to be our understanding. Jesus
Christ is God, and we love Him. That’s what Christians do – they love
their Lord for who He is. Christians also love Jesus because of what He
asks of them.
John 14:15 – “If you love Me, you will obey my commandments.”
Obeying Jesus, and keeping His commandments is an expression of our love
for Him. Disobedience and commandment breaking is a sign that we do not
love our Lord. That’s why sin is so serious. The Christian is
disconsolate with his or her sin, because it is against the Lord, and
therefore is an expression of hatred. We are shocked to think that we
hate out Lord, yet, Jesus clearly states – “If (condition) you love Me,
you will obey My words.” So, not obeying and not keeping His word means
that we are not loving our Lord. This should spur us onto greater love,
and the desire to keep His words. If we love Jesus, then God the Father
will also love us, and both the Father and the Son will make their home
with us (John 14:21,23).
Can anything separate us from the love of Jesus? – Paul says the answer
is absolutely nothing (Romans 8:35, 37-39). Do you love Jesus? Prove
your love for Him everyday.
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