Our New Life In Christ – The Love Life

This week, our devotional thoughts will be a celebration of our new life in Christ. To do this, we are looking at eight sayings of Jesus after His resurrection. Each of these sayings explains one blessed aspect of our new life with Christ.

5. The Love Life

Some time later, Jesus appears to His disciples early one morning and serves them breakfast. Following that breakfast, we see one of the most famous discourses in the Bible between Jesus and Peter.

John 21:15–17 (ESV)
15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, 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.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

Most scholars believe that Jesus was reaffirming Peter by asking him three times, “Do you love me?” as a counter to Peter having denied Jesus three times. While this is probably accurate, it is not the point I want to make today.

Look carefully…
John 21:15-17,
“Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?… Feed My lambs.
.. Simon, son of John, do you love Me? …Tend My sheep.
.. Simon, son of John, do you love Me?… Feed My sheep.”

Here is what I want us to see today. The only appropriate motivation for ministering to others is our love for Jesus. And in our ministering to others, they should experience our love for them.

When Jesus was asked what was the most important commandment, He responding by saying, Mark 12:30–31 (ESV)
30 “…you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

The question was, “Which was the greatest commandment” (Singular). And, Jesus links two commandments into being one together. The point is, this LOVE LIFE that we have been given requires us to express our love for Jesus by ministering love to others.