John 21:17
A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Peter was not hard of hearing. The Greek translation reveals that Jesus was referring to a different level of love with each question. The first question asked of Peter was if he loved Jesus as friends might love one another – eros. The second question Jesus asked Peter was if he loved Jesus like he might love a brother or sister – philos. The third time Jesus got to the heart of the matter. He asked Peter if he had an all-consuming love for His Lord – agape.
As we grow as Christians, Jesus will challenge us until we reach an all-consuming love for Him. All the along the way, the Holy Spirit will guide us, strengthen us and build us up as we work our way through our own personal journey of sanctification.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the unearned, unconditional love that You have given us, so that we may have a love gift to return to You. We exalt Your name for willingly sending Your only begotten Son to die on the Cross to cleanse us of our sins, so that we may be deemed acceptable to present our love gift to You. May Your grace be with us so that we can experience the fullness of Your perfect love and respond with an all-consuming love for You and Your Son, Jesus.
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