September 8, 2017
“… do you love me more than these?” John 21:15 The Message
“Who do I love?” … “Who will I miss?” … “How have I spent my life?” … “Am I ready for what’s next?”*
4 Questions: Maybe you’ve asked yourself these questions over time. Maybe they unfolded in a crisis or tragedy. Maybe the question(s) came by in the night when sleep cruelly flirted. Maybe you haven’t really taken the time to let your heart .. mind .. and soul retreat to hear your answers. Jesus asked one question to Peter after being betrayed? He didn’t ask him why? He asked: “do you love Me?” It’s the question He asks each one of us at some point. To answer that question is to have all other questions made subordinate. Because loving Jesus defines everything else. It sets your priorities. It means you’re going to be tested and refined by that same question. It means all those other loves are going to try and promise what this one question asserts. The only way to live a life of love is to be loved by Jesus and love others out of that fullness. Without Him, your reserves will run dry. He is the Source and Supply of the very question He asks you. It’s only 4 questions .. but they ask deep commitment and maybe even some course correction. And the answer Jesus gives to each one is: “Follow Me”. If you’re looking for something specific … it’s not something but SomeOne. And that path will be the most intense enduring love you can know.
“Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it.” 1 Peter 1:22 The Message
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent Christ Followers with life-changing questions. *(4 Questions from Philip Yancey: Epilogue to Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?)
