“Do you love me more than these?” (John 21:15)
Jesus asked Peter a poignant question. This was the first time some of the disciples were going to see Jesus after the resurrection. It was a whole day without catch and when Jesus told them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat, the command was too familiar not to be reminded of who said that before.
They confirmed it was truly Jesus when they cast the net on the right side and the Bible says that they had a net full of fish. After hauling in the large amount of fish, they went to the beach side and started to grill some.
It was here that Jesus asked Jesus, “Peter, do you love me more than these?”
What are the “these?”
It wasn’t clear what Jesus was specifically referring to but Bible scholars surmise that Jesus was pointing to the fish, the nets and their fishing equipment. It was as if Jesus was saying, “Peter, do you love me more than what you have now?”
Boom!
Life pulls us into way too many directions and throws us a curve ball here and there to the point that our love and devotion to Christ can get affected.
Do you love me more than these?
What are the “these” in our lives that Jesus is asking us to evaluate in terms of love and devotion towards Him?
These blessings?
These things that you possess?
These open doors for work?
These ministry opportunities?
These provision miracles?
These people that you love dearly?
Take time to assess. Jesus said to love God with all of our heart, all of our mind, all of our soul and all of our strength. And the main reason why we can love Him is because He first loved us. Out of the love that flowed from Calvary is the primary reason why you and I can love Him with great intensity.
Lord, we thank You for your love for us. It was clearly demonstrated at the cross. But Lord we realize that life can pull us in a thousand different directions and our affections can be influenced by another. We repent if something or someone else has taken captive of our affections when it’s supposed to be directed towards You. Thank You for Your amazing love for us that continue to pull us back in. May our lives reflect the love that You’ve shown to us each and every day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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