DO
YOU LOVE GOD?
Memorise: 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. John 21:15
Read: Deuteronomy 6:4-7, 4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our
God is one Lord:
5 And
thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And
these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7 And
thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when
thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou
liest down, and when thou risest up.
Bible in one year: 1st Chronicles 16:8-18:17, Proverbs
28:14-25
MESSAGE
In today’s Bible reading, Jesus
asked a pointed question from Simon Peter, “lovest thou me more than these?”
Jesus was not in doubt whether Peter loved Him; He was more interested in
knowing the level of Peter’s commitment to Him when compared to other worldly
things. Many truly love God, but they are more committed to other things like
their profession, business, means of livelihood, fashion, sport, entertainment,
food and delicacies, friends and family, social engagements, etc. whenever
God’s demand clashes with their interests, they will surely go for their
interests. When the chips are down, God must play the second fiddle to the true
love of their lives. In this respect, in Psalms 42:1, David says
“As the
hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.”
In the above passage, the Bible
recorded the Psalmist speaking of his yearning of a dehydrated deer, whose need
for God to the extreme yearning of a dehydrated deer, whose need for water is
shown by its panting. We know the hart or deer does not pant except when it is
being chased by a hunter or when it is highly dehydrated. Do you know that for
many people, it is only when they are being hunted by the devil or situations
of life that they remember God? When everything else is in price: the store is
filled with rich varieties of food, the bank account is bubbling, the contacts
are coming, the family members are well and making progress and the ministry is
moving on;
the need to search for God never arises in the hearts of many. But
when there is trouble: a child is sick, there is no food to eat, the business
is experiencing dryness and there are several challenges in the ministry; then
suddenly the one at the receiving end would remember that he or she has a God.
If you seek God only when you are hunted, you are a God-user and not a
God-lover. You can be sure God knows the difference and He will deal with His
seekers accordingly. John 21:15 says:
“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.”
It is possible to pursue God, not
because you are in trouble but because you love Him. Anything can happen when
you are in love. Songs of Solomon 2:5 says it is even possible to become sick
because of love. If you have an intense love for God, you will go to any length
for Him. God has created us to be capable of loving one another, particularly
Him. If you find it difficult to truly love God, it is because something else
or someone else has stolen your love. Material things have stolen the hearts of
many people from God. If you have lost your first love – the original quality
of love you once expressed towards Him when you first knew the Lord, then ask
Him to help you recover it. Are you panting after God because you are hunted or
because of love? If love drives you to God, love will drive Him to you in
return and He will give Himself to you without reservation. Do you love God
more than anything in this world?
Prayer Point
Father, let my love for You grow stronger, and stronger, all the
days of my life.
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