Text: John 21:17
Further Reading: John 21:1-17
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, 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 all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.
John 21:17 NKJV
MESSAGE
Apart from ensuring that you want more of God, it is also important to show that it pays to serve Jesus. It is the love of Christ that keeps a person faithful in a hostile generation as we live in today. Your love will determine whether you want Christ more.
Your motivation for wanting Jesus must however be greater than just mere food. It must go beyond that, you love Him because He deserved to be loved and cherished because He is priceless.
During Christ’s earthly ministry, many people followed and showed interest in Him for the wrong reasons. To the natural man, they wanted Christ badly but in real essence, it was the benefit that they wanted. That was why Scripture said,
But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.
John 2:24-25 KJV
Most of those people who followed and wanted Jesus for food however never made it into the number of trusted disciples. Some of them did want Christ because of food got bread and fish but they missed out on the bread of life. Those who were following for healings and miracles got them but missed out on the greatest miracle, which is the healing of the soul and spirit.
If I asked you honestly today, why do you want more of His power and anointing? Is it to become a powerful man of God with influence and wealth? Why do you want to go deeper in His word and prayer? Is it for a show? If your motive is wrong, God will never hand over to you precious things of eternal life.
In our text and reading of the day, Jesus came back to confront Peter, a man who had a very close walk with Christ for more than 3 years about his motive for following Him. Jesus asked him, do you love me more than bread and fish? His character was being called into question because Peter had returned in pursuit of bread and fish. He must have forgotten quickly how he had promised to die with Christ, but not long after the death of his Master, he had returned to fishing for his daily bread if we may say.
Your profession to want Christ must be backed by the right motivation or else it will collapse midway when those expectations of your heart are not met but are otherwise scuffled. This does not mean that when we want more of God we do not have benefit. No!, what it means is that the benefit should not precede the cause.
We must ask God to help our hearts so that our motives will be corrected and we will be able to enter into the fullness He has prepared for us.
REFLECTION
O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
Psalms139:1 NKJV
To make our love and desire for more of Him solid then our motives must be right.
PRAYER
Father, please search me and purge out every strange and evil motive controlling my desire for more of You, Your power, and Your glory.
