He said to him the third
time, "…do you love Me?" —John 21:17
“Peter was grieved because He said to him the
third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ ” Yet he was awakened to the fact that at the
center of his personal life he was devoted to Jesus […] It was a revelation to
him to realize how much he did love the Lord, and with amazement he simply
said, “Lord, You know all things….” Peter began to see how very much he did
love Jesus, and there was no need to say, “Look at this or that as proof of my
love.” Peter was beginning to discover within himself just how much he really
did love the Lord. He discovered that his eyes were so fixed on Jesus Christ
that he saw no one else in heaven above or on the earth below. But he did not
know it until the probing, hurting questions of the Lord were asked. The Lord’s
questions always reveal the true me to myself.” CHAMBERS
(Corinthians 5:14-15) “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are
convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for
all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who
died for them and was raised again”
Acknowledging our love for
Jesus is the first step. When Jesus responded to Peter’s “yes”, He told Peter
to feed His sheep. The truth of the
matter was that Peter was incapable of doing that, at that moment. It was not until Peter, and the rest, were
empowered by the Holy Spirit, that Peter would be able to fulfill the Lord’s
charge to him. The Spirit transformed
Peter, from an impulsive, self-dependent “wanna-be” to the leader of the church
in Jerusalem. From a man who feared for
his life, to a man who stood fearlessly before the very ones who crucified
Jesus.
The same is true for us. We say we love Jesus, but until we are
empowered by the Spirit, we are incapable of living the way Jesus has showed
us. It is one thing to be sealed by the
Spirit .. all Christians are .. permanently … and an entirely different thing
to live and walk and serve in the power of the Spirit. That requires submission to the Spirit and to
stop submitting to the flesh. Jesus asks
each of us .. “Do you love me (fill in your name)? Feed my sheep!” in other words, “Show Me!” Walking and serving in the power of the
Spirit requires discipline, determination, and focus. It doesn’t happen just because you would like
it to. You must be purposeful in your
faith. (Zechariah 4:6) “It’s not by might nor by power, but by My
Spirit, says the Lord God of Hosts.” You
cannot be successful in your new life any other way. ELGIN
Charley Elgin
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