Do You Love Me More Than These?

By Ngozi Nwoke

Are you in a struggle to obey God? Is there anything you need to let go of for you to please God? To love God means putting Him first before any other thing. It is letting go of what must go for you to do the will of the Father. This article stresses the need to do the required thing in order to walk in love towards the Lord.

"So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs." He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep." - John 21:15-16 (NKJV).

Loving God means obeying His commandments (John 14:15), and that includes the ones that we personally won't want to do. It means obeying God in all things, whether it's convenient or not, we understand it or not, it makes sense or not, it's a sacrifice or not. God demands absolute obedience if you are to please Him. The good thing is that every instruction from God is aimed at blessing us. When God demanded that Abraham should sacrifice Isaac, He tested his love for Him above that which he had for Isaac. Abraham passed the love test and God swore great blessings to him, which his generations after him are still reaping till today.

Sometimes, obeying God demands that you let go of certain things, especially things that are competing with your full obedience to God. As a Christian believer, such things may not be bad in themselves, but are obstacles in fulfilling the Lord's perfect plan for you. It may be to let go of a relationship, hobby, food, or even a business or career. You may not quite understand why God is asking for you to let go of it, but as you obey you will discover the reason. The Alpha and Omega never makes mistakes, neither can He fail you. His thoughts for you are of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end.

Peter was originally a fisherman fishing fish before Jesus called him to fish men. When Jesus died, he remembered his fishing again. Apparently, Peter loved fishing. Jesus had to ask him three times if he loved Him more than the fishes to show how serious He was about the assignment He had given Peter. Fishing on its own was not wrong, but it was distracting Peter from the instructions of Jesus. He was to feed and tend the sheep of the Lord. He was to spearhead the spread of the gospel of Christ, and not to go back to fishing fish. The souls of men are more important than fishing fish to earn living or for fun.

Is Jesus asking you the same question concerning certain things, "Do you love Me more than these?" God tested Abraham with his son; this incidence shows that the Lord should always be number one in your life. Concerning certain things, the Lord may require total severance from them to get your full commitment to the assignment He had given you, while in some other things, He will require that you put them secondary, that is after Him in your life. For instance, as much as it is very important that you are there for your family in everything, the Father demands that you put Him first before your family. It all calls for wisdom. Besides, putting God first releases the wisdom, grace and the resources to carry out your responsibilities in the family.

In conclusion, it is important to note that the Lord will never require of you to do what He had not equipped you to do. He will never ask you to do what is contrary to His word or impossible for you to do. All He requires is that nothing should come between you and Him. Truly, nothing is worth jeopardizing your relationship with God and your ability to fulfill your purpose in life. Therefore, with boldness and certainty, declare to Jesus in the face of that issue of concern, "Yes Lord, You know that I love you." By the grace of God, you will not fail the Father.

Ngozi Nwoke is a teacher, speaker, counselor and author of "Peace Money Can't Buy" and "The Man Jesus: What You Need to Know About Christ". She has a passion to teach people how to enjoy peace, God's love and christian living for more fulfilling life. Want more fulfilling life? Subscribe for free email updates today. http://stepswithgod.com