"Do You Love Me More Than These?'

"Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?"-JOHN 21:15. 


SEVEN of Jesus' disciples had just spent the entire nigh fishing in the Sea of Galilee but had not caught anything.  From the beach, the resurrected  Jesus observed the group.  Then he said to them: "Cast the net on the right side and you will find some.' So they cast it, but they ere not able to haul it in because of the large number of fish."-John 21:1-6.

After serving them breakfast, Jesus turned to Simon and Peter and said: "Simon, son of  John, do you love me more than these?"  To what was Jesus referring?  Peter was quite attached to fishing.  So it seems that Jesus was asking him where his true affection lay. Did he have greater affection for the fish and the fishing business than for Jesus and the things that he taught?  In answer, Peter said:  "Yes, Lord, you know I have affection for you."  (John 21:15)  Peter certainly  lived up to his word.  From that point forward, he proved his love for Christ by busying himself in the disciple-making work, becoming a pillar in  in the first-century Christian congregation.  

What can we learn from the words that Jesus spoke to Peter? We need to be careful not to allow our love for Christ to weaken and let ourselves be distracted from Kingdom interests. Jesus was keenly aware of the pressures with the anxieties of this system of things. In his illustration of sower, Jesus said that some would accept "the word of the Kingdom" and make initial progress but that "the anxiety of this system of things and the deceptive power of riches" would "choke the word."  (Matthew 13:19-22; Mark 4:19) Indeed, if we are not careful, the everyday concerns of life could entice our heart and cause us to slow down spiritually. Thus, Jesus warned his disciples:  "Pay attention to yourselves that your hearts never become weighed down with overeating and drinking and anxieties of life." -Luke 21:34. 

Just as Peter did after his experience with the resurrected Jesus, we prove the depth of our love for Christ by putting the work he has given us to do in first place. How can we make sure that we continue to do so?  From time to time, we need to ask ourselves:  'Where doers my true affection lie?  Does most of my joy come from engaging in mundane activities or in spiritual activities?'  In this regard, let us consider three areas of life that if not kept in their proper place could weaken our love for Christ and for spiritual things-secular work, recreation, and material things.

Next time: Do You Love Me More Than These? KEEP SECULAR WORK KIN ITS PROPER PLACE

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