Lovest thou Me?

Recently I have been challenged by the words of Christ to Peter after His resurrection. "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these"? He Peter said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love you". He said to him, "feed my lambs"(John 21:15) . Christ asked him two more times, and both times Peter confirmed his love. Jesus responded "tend my sheep", and feed my sheep". Peters love for Christ called for action. Jesus wasn't satisfied with just plain words of love, He asked Peter to act on his love. If we read the book of Acts we will see that Peter did indeed act out on his love. Again in John 14:15 Jesus commands us to show our love for him by keeping His commandments (action). With-out action, our love is dead! I am not saying that works are our salvation. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8,9). However you cannot have faith without action. "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead" (James 2:26). Those actions, coincidently, are equal to nothing without love (I Corinthians 13). Faith without love is dead. With dead faith we are nothing. Sometimes it is hard to show the love our love for Christ. Rev. Kent Hughs brings out an inspiring, but challenging point in his book " Disciplines of a Godly Man". He says when Apostle Paul refers to running the Christian race (Heb. 12:1) that the Greek words have a direct meaning of working-out and sweating. Sometimes this love we have for Christ is going to take "spiritual sweat." Are you willing to take one more step, or lift the weight one more time when you'd rather drop and lay down? what would your response be if Jesus asked you, "lovest thou me"?

"And now abide faith, hope, and love

the three; but the greatest of these

is love.

(I Corinthians 13:13)