Lovest Thou Me III – 5.12.09

John 21:15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

What exactly did Jesus mean by MORE THAN THESE? Well, I'm really not sure, but I believe it's interesting and beneficial to consider the possibilities.

Perhaps Jesus was referring to the other disciples present (with the lesson being humility), and we talked about that last time. But then maybe Jesus was referring to the 153 fish, the fishing, the lake, the boat, the dinner, etc. (with the lesson being devotion). Let's take that one up for a minute.

What a question! "Peter, do you love me SUPREMELY – MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE? Is that not the first and great commandment?

Matthew 22:36-38 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.

Exodus 20:1-3 And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Ask yourself this question. Do you love God more than anything else? Remember that a genuine love is easily evidenced (1 John 3:18), and the ultimate evidence of love is giving of oneself for the good and benefit of another (John 3:16).

So...

• Do you give more of your time, money, affection to GOD or to your boyfriend/girlfriend?
• Do you give more of your attention, effort, energy to GOD or to school, sports, hobbies, etc.?
• Where are you when God's people are gathered together?
• Do you think and meditate more about all that GOD has done for you or how your favorite athlete or celebrity is making news?

Lovest thou me MORE THAN THESE?

I understand that most people reading this have some measure of love for God. And that's great, and I'm thankful for it. But what God wants to know is if we love Him more than anything else. Certainly we can recognize that we should. And we can probably also see that there are many times when we don't.

So let's just continue in our less than supreme love for God, right? No, let's purpose in our hearts to love Him more, and let's fervently pray for God to fill us with such love. But more than that, let's commit to give God first place perhaps in some small decisions from day to day – decisions about how we use our time, our energy, our resources. May God's people get their priorities straight and be able to honestly answer with Peter, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.