“Who Are You?” “I am a child of God!”

 

¹⁵ For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

—The words of the Apostle Paul from Romans 8:15-17

 

Does anyone ever ask you any questions? Of course they do. I am quite certain that people ask you questions all the time. And, I am also quite certain that you probably ask quite a few questions yourself. “What’s for lunch?” or “Who’s your favorite football team?”

Questions offer a very important way for us to seek out and receive information. We frequently use questions to obtain information that will help us live our lives.

Sometimes questions deal with subjects that appear quite easy to answer. For example, “Hey! What’s for dinner?”

Other questions require a great deal of thought. And, maybe such questions even require us to look quite hard to find the answer. For example, if I asked you, “Who are you?” You might say to me, “I am Tom.” Or, “I am Susan.” In other words, you might answer my question by telling me your name.

Or, maybe, when I ask, “Who are you?” you might say to me, “I am a man.” Or, “I am a woman.” In other words, you might answer my question by telling me your gender.

The Bible often can give us some very interesting answers to questions that we may ask. For example, when I look in the Bible for an answer to the question, “Who are you?” the Bible gives me this answer: “You are a child of God. You belong to Him.”

Imagine that? When someone says to me: “Who are you?” I can answer, “I am a child of God. I belong to Him.” I know this statement rings true because I have the testimony of the Holy Spirit in my heart that I do, indeed, belong to God through the resurrection power of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In October of 1956, as a nine-year-old little boy, at the end of an evangelistic service I responded to the invitation given by Rev. Oral Bradford, a visiting evangelist. Rev. Bradford prayed with me and I surrendered my life to Jesus. I acknowledged the sacrifice that Christ made for me on Calvary’s cross. From that day forward, right up to this very day, when I am asked, “Who are you?” I can quickly respond, “I am a child of God. I belong to Him.”

Do you know what? You can give that very same answer. If you have accepted God’s gift of eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ, and I ask you, “Who are you?” you can respond, “I am a child of God. I belong to Him.”

Will you pray with me?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank you for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank you making us Your children. Help us remember that if someone asks us, “Who are you?” we can respond, “I am a child of God. I belong to Him.” We pray with thanksgiving in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2011 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

God’s Always In Charge!

 

²² But this word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: ²³ “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, to the whole house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, ²⁴ ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.’” So they obeyed the word of the Lord and went home again, as the Lord had ordered.

—The words of the Old Testament from 1 Kings 12:22-24

 

Do you like to go out to eat? Maybe you’re like me and most of your away-from-home eating experiences take place at McDonald’s or one of the other fast food restaurants. But perhaps, on some special occasion, you’ve gone a real sit down restaurant where a waiter or waitress comes to your table and takes your order.

Once in a while, when you go out to eat in such a restaurant, things don’t seem to go very well. Maybe you wait for a long time for the waiter or waitress to come and take your order. Or, maybe after he or she takes your order, you wait a very long time for your food to arrive so you can begin eating. When that happens, maybe you’ve wondered aloud about who’s in charge. It seems when things don’t go well at a restaurant it’s because no one seems to take control of things—no one seems to be “in charge.”

One of the lessons contained in today’s Bible text centers on the fact that when things happen around us, we don’t ever have to wonder whether or not God remains in charge of things. God’s always in charge. Whatever happens, and whenever things happen, we can be quite sure that God is at work to bring the outcome that He wants.

At the end of the chapter preceding today’s Scripture passage, King Solomon had died. Of his two sons, Rehoboam and Jeroboam, the first son had remained faithful to his father. The second son had rebelled against his father and fled to Egypt.

Upon Solomon’s death, Jeroboam returns to the Promised Land. And, Rehoboam acts on some bad advice from his peers, rejecting the recommendations of his older advisors. As a result, the people rebel, and the Kingdom becomes divided. Ten tribes form the Northern Kingdom and invite Jeroboam to become their king. Two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, form the Southern Kingdom where Rehoboam reigns.

In the verses at the beginning of this blog post, Rehoboam has assembled an army of 180,000 fighting men to attack the Northern Kingdom. But, God intervenes. He orders Rehoboam and his army to stand down. God reminds them that He remains in control and He has brought about the division of the kingdoms.

God always remains in control. In fact, one of the wonderful things about belonging to God—about being His child—is that we can always be sure that He’s in charge. I hope you will remember this fact. No matter what seems to happen in or around our lives, we can always remain certain that God’s the one in charge. He’ graciously and lovingly controls what goes on in our lives.

Will you pray with me?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank you for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank you for always being the One in charge of everything that happens. Help us remember that whatever takes place, You remain in control. We pray in the strong and safe Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2011 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Fully Devoted to God

 

¹ King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. ² They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. ³ He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. ⁴ As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. ⁵ He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. ⁶ So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.

⁷ On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. ⁸ He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.

⁹ The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. ¹⁰ Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command. ¹¹ So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. ¹² Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. ¹³ Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

—The words of the Old Testament from 1 Kings 11:1-13

 

In the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post, the Bible story talks about how King Solomon’s wives unduly and improperly influenced him, so that he was no longer “fully devoted” to God.

Have you ever observed someone who allowed another person to unduly and improperly influence him or her? It usually happens slowly over a relatively long period of time. The “influencer” exerts subtle pressure on the one he or she intends to influence. After a time, the one under the influence begins to say things or do things that he or she might not do under normal circumstances.

I observed this first hand during the last days of my career at an insurance company. A long-time Senior Vice President decided to take early retirement. A number of candidates existed within the company who could have easily stepped in to assume the duties and responsibilities of the departing Senior VP. But, this event occurred at a time when all the popular business management literature advanced the idea of corporate reorganization.

Unduly and improperly influenced by a new board chairman, who did not understand—and did not want to understand—the culture of the insurance company, a search began for a new Senior VP from outside the company. In no time at all, the search committee located an executive from a casualty insurer. This individual knew absolutely nothing about Highly Protected Risk fire insurance. He knew nothing about fire protection. He knew nothing about the culture that had made the insurance company successful for over 100 years. But, he represented exactly what the new board chairman wanted: a new face from outside the company who would agree with everything the new board chairman did or said. The board hired the favored candidate immediately. And, we all had a new boss.

I will spare you—at least in this blog post—a recounting of the long term effect of this decision to hire an outsider who did not really understand who we were or what we did. Suffice it to say, it became representative of a significant number of bad decisions. Within five years the company dissolved into a failed morass. By then, I was long gone.

At least in concept, that’s not unlike what happened to Solomon in our Scripture passage for today. His wives exerted undue and improper influence on him. They turned him away from the one true God and directed him to worship their gods. As a result, Solomon lost the most important element of his life. No longer did Solomon make himself fully devoted to God.

The key words are “fully devoted.” Now you may seldom hear words like those. But, even though the words “fully devoted” may seem somewhat unfamiliar to you, you already know what they mean. Let me explain.

Have you ever watched a baseball game? Well, true baseball fans tend to become “fully devoted” to their favorite team. Whenever they talk about their team, you can hear the joy and excitement in their voices. From time to time, if no channel televises their team’s game, they may reluctantly watch another team play baseball. But, they just don’t get anywhere near as excited about that game as they do when they watch their team play.

You can always tell someone is “fully devoted” to something, or someone, by how excited he or she becomes when talking about that thing or that person. Of course, you have to guard yourself about becoming devoted to anyone who insists on exerting undue or improper influence on you. Solomon fell prey to his wives. The board at the insurance company fell prey to a new board chairman who insisted on having his way, no matter what. And, oddly enough, who would not tolerate any discussion or disagreement with his ideas.

As Solomon learned to his peril, God very much wants us to become and remain “fully devoted” to Him. In fact, He really wants us to become and remain “fully devoted” only to Him. As we all grow and learn more about God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, we will also have the opportunity to begin to understand how important it is in life to become and remain “fully devoted” to Him.

Will you pray with me?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank you for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Protect us and help us to reject all undue and improper influence that would turn us away from You. Help us to become people who, more and more each day, learn to fix our minds and hearts on obediently following Your will for our lives. We know that the more we become “fully devoted” to You, the more You will be pleased with our response to Your love for us. We pray in the matchless Name of Jesus. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2011 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Recognizing the Holy Spirit

 

¹² “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. ¹³ But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. ¹⁴ He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. ¹⁵ All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.”

—The words of the Apostle John from John 16:12-15

 

Have you ever answered the telephone at home and the person calling started talking to you like he or she knew you, but you could not tell who that person was because you did not recognize the person’s voice? This happens to me from time to time. I will get a telephone call and the person calling will start talking to me without telling me who he or she is. The whole time that person is talking to me, instead of listening to what he or she is saying, I am trying to figure out who it is.

Sometimes, after I have listened very carefully to the sound of the person’s voice for a while, something the person says to me, or the way he or she forms words, will let me know who it is that is speaking to me.

The Bible verses at the beginning of this blog post come from a Scripture passage in the Gospel of John where Jesus tells His disciples that the Holy Spirit will come to them and speak to them of things that will guide them along the pathway of their lives. Jesus makes it very clear to His disciples that they will recognize it is the Holy Spirit speaking to them because the Holy Spirit will be speaking the same kinds of things that Jesus has been telling them.

When we put our faith and trust in Jesus, the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us. How this happens is a great spiritual mystery. But, believe me, it does happen. The Holy Spirit is present within us to remind us of the things Jesus wants us to know and to do.

When we hear that “voice” inside us telling us what to do, we will always be able to recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit by what the Spirit says to us. If what we hear is the same kind of things Jesus would say to us—the kinds of things Jesus said that we read in the Bible—then we will know for certain it is the Holy Spirit speaking. And, that is a really important lesson we all must learn.

Will you pray with me?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank you for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Help us become people who learn to recognize the Holy Spirit’s voice and do what the Spirit tells us to do. We pray in the strong and powerful Name of Jesus, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2011 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Just Ask Jesus

 

¹ Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. ² Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. ³ Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. ⁵ One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

⁷ “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

⁸ Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”
⁹ At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

—The words of the Apostle John from John 5:1-9

 

Have you ever tried to do something, but needed some help in doing it? Maybe you wanted a book from a shelf in your room that was higher than you could reach. You stretched and you stretched and you stretched. But, you still could not reach what you wanted to get down. Or, maybe you wanted to put on or take off your snakeskin boots in the wintertime. You tugged and you tugged, and then you tugged some more. But, you still could not get those boots on or off.

When faced with something you cannot do, I imagine you yell, “Hey! Can you give me some help?” And, someone answers and comes to help you do whatever you wanted to do, but could not do for yourself.

In the Bible story at the beginning of this blog post, a man wanted to be healed from some illness that prevented him from moving easily. He believed that an angel would come and stir up the Pool of Bethesda. If he could somehow get into the pool at the moment the angel stirred up the water, he would be healed. But, he would only be healed if he was the very first person to enter the water.

As the man waits for healing, Jesus comes along. Surprisingly, Jesus asked the man if he wanted to be healed. The man explained that he had no one to help him get into the water. Then Jesus said something to the man that totally surprised the man. Jesus said, “Get up. Pick up your mat and walk.” The Bible tells us that the man was immediately healed.

That day this man learned a very valuable lesson. And, we can learn this lesson, too. The man learned that when he really needed help, all he had to do was ask Jesus.

As we get to know more and more about Jesus, we will also learn that whenever we really need help, all we have to do is ask Jesus. His help is the most powerful, the very best help we can find.

Will you pray with me?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank you for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Help us become people who learn to trust You to help us whenever we really need help. We pray in In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2011 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Identify With Your Team

 

³¹ When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. ³² If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.

³³ “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

—The words of the Apostle John from John 13:31-35

 

Have you ever attended a sporting event like a baseball game, a basketball game, a football game, or a soccer match? Have you ever gone to the softball field to watch your own church softball team play? I understand that on the softball field you can learn a great deal about your fellow believers. You should seriously think about attending one of those games.

If you do attend a game, or even if you watch your favorite sports team on television, you can always tell the members of the team by the fact that they all wear the same uniforms. Every one of the players on the team all dress in the same clothes. You can easily identify the team members.

The next time you attend church, look around the sanctuary. Everyone in that room will have dressed in very unique clothes. And yet, almost everyone present has chosen to join the same team. That’s right. Most all of you belong to the same team. And, the captain of that team is the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, how can you tell when you look at each other that you belong to the same team?

In the Bible lesson at the beginning of this blog post, Jesus tells His disciples: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

So, Jesus, Himself, has told us that the way we will know we belong to the same team—the way we will know that we belong to Jesus—comes from the fact that we show love for one another. Showing that we love each other by kind words and kind deeds provides the mark of someone who belongs to Jesus Christ; someone whom we call a Christian, or “Christ-one.”

Will you pray with me?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank you for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Help us become people who show our love for one another because we belong to You. We pray in the loving Name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2011 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

We Belong to Jesus

 

²² Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³ and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. ²⁴ The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

²⁵ Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, ²⁶ but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. ²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.”

—The words of the Apostle John from John 10:22-30

 

A few years ago, the church I attended at that time held a public community event on the Saturday before Palm Sunday called God’s Garden. The event provided a wide variety of activities and craft projects for families and children that emphasized the true meaning of Easter. The many opportunities to learn more about Jesus and His sacrifice on Calvary’s cruel cross, included one truly wonderful sight. Right there in the church parking lot a pen held some sheep. That’s right. We had sheep in the parking lot! The sheep reminded the families attending the event that Jesus is sometimes called the “Lamb of God.”

One of the really neat things about the sheep occurred whenever the shepherd—who brought them here in a trailer pulled by his truck—spoke to them. No matter how much noise teemed around them, whenever the shepherd spoke—even in the most quiet and gentle voice—the sheep stopped whatever they were doing. Immediately the sheep looked up, and turned toward the shepherd, so they could be sure to hear what he was saying. It was a truly amazing thing to watch.

In the Bible story at the beginning of today’s blog post, Jesus tells a crowd that has gathered, asking him to declare whether or not He is the Son of God, that they are not His sheep. He says that He has already answered their question and even done miracles to show them He is God’s Son, but they do not believe.

“You are not my sheep,” Jesus says. Then, He goes on to say, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.”

You know, dear friends, that statement of Jesus presents a wonderful truth. When we belong to Jesus, we hear what He is trying to tell us through His written Word—the Bible. And, we also hear what He is trying to tell us when He speaks to us through the Holy Spirit in the depths of our hearts.

You see, it’s very simple. We who belong to Jesus—who love Him as our Savior and Lord—need to listen to His voice and follow Him.

Will you pray with me?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank you for sending Jesus to be our Savior. As we determine to listen to You, please help us become people who not only listen to Your voice, but do what You ask us to do. We pray with hopeful joy in Jesus‘ Precious and Holy Name. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2011 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Breakfast with Jesus

 

¹ Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way: ² Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. ³ “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

⁴ Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

⁵ He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

⁶ He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

⁷ Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. ⁸ The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. ⁹ When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

¹⁰ Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”

¹¹ Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. ¹² Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. ¹³ Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. ¹⁴ This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

¹⁵ When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

¹⁶ Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

¹⁷ The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

—The words of the Apostle John from John 21:1-19

 

Do you like to eat breakfast? I really like to eat breakfast. In fact, I truly believe that breakfast is absolutely the best meal of the day. Nothing compares to some scrambled eggs, hot toast, crisp bacon, all topped off with some rich slices of French toast covered with powdered sugar. Yummy! Yum! Yum! Yum! Breakfast—what a wonderful meal!

The Bible story in the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post describes a very special breakfast. It tells about a time, a few weeks after the first Easter, when the disciples decided to try to get back to normal after the amazing events of Holy Week. They decided to go fishing.

Now many of the disciples did not fish for recreation. Their careers—prior to leaving everything to follow Jesus—involved serious fishing. So, they naturally gravitated to fishing when they didn’t know what else to do.

Once they began to fish, an event occurred that repeated a fishing adventure that some of them had experienced a bit more than three years earlier. As they fished, suddenly they began to catch so many fish that their boat began to sink. A few of disciples, I’m quite sure, remembered a fishing trip where Jesus had told them to put down their nets on the other side of the boat. That time they also caught so many fish the boat began to sink.

Just then, they were jolted out of remembering that other fishing trip when they spotted someone standing on the shore. As they got closer, they realized it was Jesus. He had risen from the dead on the first Easter morning. Since that day, He had appeared to them and spoken with them twice before. And, here He was again.

Do you know what Jesus said to the disciples? “Come have breakfast,” He said. Then Jesus served them bread and fish.

After breakfast, Jesus and Peter began to talk. Three times Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?”

Now, you may wonder why three times. If you think back to the hours just after the Jewish leaders arrested Jesus, Peter had drawn close to where they had set up their interrogation of Jesus. Someone accused Peter of being one of Jesus’ followers and Peter denied it three times. This fulfilled a prophesy that Jesus had given to Peter that before the rooster crowed in the early morning light, Peter would deny Jesus three times. Several weeks later, here’s Jesus asking Peter three times if Peter loves Him.

You may also find it interesting to know that, while we only have one word “love” in English, Greek, the language of the New Testament, has four words: agape—God-breathed, unconditional love; phileo—brotherly or familial love, friendship; storge—affection; and eros—passionate (sexual) love with sensual desire and longing. Each word has a very significant difference in the kind of love it intends to describe.

The first time Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him, He uses a form of the word agape or God-breathed love. In other words, “Peter, do you have in your heart the love for me that only God can give you by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit?” Peter responds using a form of the word phileo. In other words, “You know that I have brotherly love for you, Lord.”

The second time Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him, He again uses a form of the word agape or God-breathed love. And again, Peter responds using a form of the word phileo.

The third time Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him, He uses a form of the word phileo, just as Peter has used. It’s as if Jesus decides to meet Peter at the place where he finds himself.

Although Peter could not honestly declare—at least at this point in his spiritual development—that he loved Jesus with the God-breathed love that Jesus sought, each time Peter did respond emphatically that he loved Jesus in the best way that he currently could. And, each time Jesus asked Peter to “feed my sheep.” Jesus was telling Peter that by serving others in Jesus’ flock of followers, Peter could show Jesus he loved Him.

So, let’s remember this lesson: we can show God we love Him by doing our best to do what He wants us to do. We call this “obedience.” We show our love for Jesus by becoming more and more obedient to His will and His Word.

Will you pray with me?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank you for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Help us become people who show You, God, we love You by doing what You tell us to do. We pray in the strong Name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2011 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}