Do you love Me?

In John 21:15, Jesus asks Peter the question, "Do you truly love me more than these?" While it is not exactly clear what the "these" were that Jesus was referring to at that time, I recently heard Him ask this question of me. "Do you love me more than these - your achievements, your learning, the tasks you 'need' to get done, the things you want to do, even My plans or outcomes that you are chasing after?"


If I answer 'yes', (which is what I want to answer), then it needs to be outworked in my behaviour. Simply, I need to prize spending time with Him, in His presence, in His REST. I have had a couple of timely reminders of this message lately - to live in His rest, and when I find myself out of it, to quickly return. His rest is peace and safety and trust that He has everything in hand. I don't need to worry or fuss. In fact, the less I worry and fuss, the more clearly and accurately I can assess situations and what I am called to do or say, not responding to my emotional state, but out of peace and rest. When I am feeling frustrated, anxious, angry or other negative emotions, I need to first take that to Jesus, then ask Him to help me see it from His perspective, and then ask what (if anything) He wants me to do.