Lovest Thou Me More Than These?
“Lovest thou Me more than these?” Okay, that’s the King James, but that’s the way I originally learned it. Since then I’ve used the NIV and now the ESV Bible translations. But the words that spoke to me, that jumped out at me almost as though they had been spoken in my ear were from my memory of the King James Version.
It’s a very familiar story. Peter had denied Jesus, not once but three times—and that was after he assured Jesus he would never do such a thing. Since then, Jesus had been crucified and raised again and had appeared to many of His followers.
I’m sure you’ve heard as many sermons on this passage (John 21:15-17) as I have. How much did Peter love Jesus? What kind of love did he have for his Savior? The application to ourselves is obvious.
But, as in all lessons, it takes longer for some of us to learn than others. Or it takes viewing them in another way. Or learning them again and again.
“Lovest thou Me more than these?” What are “these”? I’m sure they differ for each of us and, admittedly, many of “these” are supposed to be much loved—like family and church and neighbors.
And there are many things in life that are perfectly fine, as long as we control them, as long as we don’t allow them to control us. Food is a great example. We need to eat in order to survive. We need to eat lots of fruits and vegetables in order to be healthy. But when food consumes our minds and our energies, when chocolate is more important than a proper diet, we have crossed a line from necessity to greed, from proper balance to sin.
Also there is no harm in many forms of entertainment, as long as our pleasure doesn’t consume us, as long as entertainment doesn’t take us away from those things that would please God.
That’s what it was for me when I felt as though Jesus was standing behind me and looking over my shoulder as He asked, “Lovest thou Me more than these?”
It was a Saturday night and my husband was out of town. I had previously determined that I would make sure I went to bed early on Saturdays so my mind would be sharp for Sunday morning worship. Instead, I was playing a stupid but harmless computer game. In fact, it was approaching midnight and I was still at it. Once I finished a round, I was sure I could do better and went at it again, telling myself, “Just one more time”. But there was always “just one more time.” I was allowing the game to control me.
“Lovest thou Me more than these?” Ouch! Like Peter, my response was, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.”
“But, more than these? More than your games? More than your entertainment? Enough to get proper rest? Enough to say no to chocolate binges? Enough to put Me first in your mornings?”
Ouch! Again.
And that question has stayed with me, popping into my head more times than I like to admit. I’ve been neglecting this blog, amongst other things. Sure, I had had a back injury. Yes, I couldn’t do as much while healing. But the injury, the pain was a good excuse for a lot of things, some valid, others not so.
I would love to say that I love God more than anything else in this whole world. But honesty says that there are many times when my pleasure, my responsibilities, my desires supersede my love for God.
Yet, He loves me so very much! I am filled with awe whenever I think about the God of all creation loving me enough to send His Son to live on earth as a man, to suffer incredible torture and give up His life for me, and then to bring Him back to life so that He might intercede for me! On top of all that, when I think of all the people who populate this world, of the many people who are praying at the same time, and yet God is able to hear every one of those prayers—He hears my prayers. God cares about the details of the lives of every one of His children, including me. How can I not love Him wholeheartedly?
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or sword?
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come,
nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
It’s a very familiar story. Peter had denied Jesus, not once but three times—and that was after he assured Jesus he would never do such a thing. Since then, Jesus had been crucified and raised again and had appeared to many of His followers.
I’m sure you’ve heard as many sermons on this passage (John 21:15-17) as I have. How much did Peter love Jesus? What kind of love did he have for his Savior? The application to ourselves is obvious.
But, as in all lessons, it takes longer for some of us to learn than others. Or it takes viewing them in another way. Or learning them again and again.
“Lovest thou Me more than these?” What are “these”? I’m sure they differ for each of us and, admittedly, many of “these” are supposed to be much loved—like family and church and neighbors.
And there are many things in life that are perfectly fine, as long as we control them, as long as we don’t allow them to control us. Food is a great example. We need to eat in order to survive. We need to eat lots of fruits and vegetables in order to be healthy. But when food consumes our minds and our energies, when chocolate is more important than a proper diet, we have crossed a line from necessity to greed, from proper balance to sin.
Also there is no harm in many forms of entertainment, as long as our pleasure doesn’t consume us, as long as entertainment doesn’t take us away from those things that would please God.
That’s what it was for me when I felt as though Jesus was standing behind me and looking over my shoulder as He asked, “Lovest thou Me more than these?”
It was a Saturday night and my husband was out of town. I had previously determined that I would make sure I went to bed early on Saturdays so my mind would be sharp for Sunday morning worship. Instead, I was playing a stupid but harmless computer game. In fact, it was approaching midnight and I was still at it. Once I finished a round, I was sure I could do better and went at it again, telling myself, “Just one more time”. But there was always “just one more time.” I was allowing the game to control me.
“Lovest thou Me more than these?” Ouch! Like Peter, my response was, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.”
“But, more than these? More than your games? More than your entertainment? Enough to get proper rest? Enough to say no to chocolate binges? Enough to put Me first in your mornings?”
Ouch! Again.
And that question has stayed with me, popping into my head more times than I like to admit. I’ve been neglecting this blog, amongst other things. Sure, I had had a back injury. Yes, I couldn’t do as much while healing. But the injury, the pain was a good excuse for a lot of things, some valid, others not so.
I would love to say that I love God more than anything else in this whole world. But honesty says that there are many times when my pleasure, my responsibilities, my desires supersede my love for God.
Yet, He loves me so very much! I am filled with awe whenever I think about the God of all creation loving me enough to send His Son to live on earth as a man, to suffer incredible torture and give up His life for me, and then to bring Him back to life so that He might intercede for me! On top of all that, when I think of all the people who populate this world, of the many people who are praying at the same time, and yet God is able to hear every one of those prayers—He hears my prayers. God cares about the details of the lives of every one of His children, including me. How can I not love Him wholeheartedly?
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or sword?
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come,
nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:35, 37-39
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