You can click HERE to read the passage.
The question that comes to my mind after reading and pondering this passage is this: If I were sitting around a campfire with Jesus and He were to ask me, “Do you love me?”, how would I respond?
I would be tempted to answer something like this: Of course I love You. I’ve been to seminary and I’m a pastor and have worked in a church for over 30 years. I’ve preached, I’ve read the Bible many times, I tithe faithfully, I love my family, I pray regularly. Isn’t it obvious that I love You?
But then I started thinking – that answer sounds a lot like what the Pharisees answer was, and Jesus said something like their hearts were far from God.
So I know that it is not a matter of what I have done, but why I have done these things. It is a matter of where my heart is. And do I do all those things because I love Jesus or because I’m trying to earn His favor and impress Him with all my good works.
Perhaps this is why I love Peter’s answer. It was a simple, “Yes Lord You know I love You.” He didn’t try to justify his answer. There was no need to. The Lord knew his heart.
Perhaps this is also why I love this prayer that I heard several years ago and that I find myself praying often, “Lord would You capture my mind’s attention and my heart’s affection.”
Indeed!
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So this brings us to the end of the Gospel of John. For those of you who have been pondering along with me this year I hope you have enjoyed the journey. I will be blogging rather randomly between now and the end of the year but will begin a new Pondering Project in January. You are, of course, invited to join me for the adventure. Stay tuned!