When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. John 21:15-17
Three times Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love Me more than this?” before giving Peter commission to shepherd His sheep because there is human love and God’s love. Human love is but a shadow of God’s love. He was asking, “Do you love Me more than this?” Nothing can compare with the power of this word, spoken from the heart. Remember a man can process to be a Christian and not such in heart. If l say, “l love you” and I’m not such in heart, it means I’m talking of shadow. The word, “l love you”, spoken from the heart can change your destiny. Love can make a king abdicate his throne, that is, resign. Love can make a poor boy, a poor man, a beggar become a prince, if spoken from the heart. Knowing God’s love will enable you to press on to tomorrow. Nothing is stronger than love. Nothing is greater than all because God is love and God is greater than all.
The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. “‘Each of you must respect your mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God. “‘Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God. “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God. “‘Do not steal. “‘Do not lie. “‘Do not deceive one another. “‘Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord. “‘Do not defraud or rob your neighbour. “‘Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight. Leviticus 19:1-4, 9-13
God is love. He is without peer. That is – without equal, equivalent, equipollent. There’s nothing to compare with love. Richer than any mineral – love. Warmer than any sun – love. That is love for you. God is love. God loves the orphans, the strangers, the widows, the needy, just name them. Therefore man, if he loves God truly, is under obligation to love his fellow man. God is concerned about justice and righteousness. Therefore man, if he loves God, must be concerned about justice and treatment of his neighbour.
Today, every one of us wants to be a minister of God. We want to preach the Gospel, we want to stand in the presence of a congregation, we want to talk, we want to be seen. But we abandon the initial ministry, which is the ministry of giving, helping the needy, raising the standard of living. These two cannot be separated because what comes from the ministry goes to the ministry of giving to widows, needy, strangers. For a lasting ministry, the giving ministry must follow. If you don’t want your ministry to disappear while you are still living or to die when you die, the giving ministry must follow. That is the only thing that will sustain your ministry. It is the giving ministry that services the ministry.
You know you must service your car. After driving your vehicle, you take it to the mechanic for service because when you don’t service your car, it will no longer work. If you don’t have a giving ministry, you can’t service the ministry. Service your ministry, service life. To service them is to love the strangers, the widows, the orphans, the needy. If you love them as yourself, as you love yourself, as you love your children, then, you are servicing your life. Where there is no love, there is neither mercy nor grace – that is hell.
The more you give to widows and orphans, the more God increases the strength of this ministry so that you can do more for these orphans and widows and others. If they open their mouths to pray for you because of what you are doing for them, wow! What a breakthrough. God’s goodness will continue towards you, if you respond by loving Him, by loving others, by loving your neighbour. God’s love is expressed, is revealed in our prosperity, protection from disease and sickness, continued mercy – that is God’s love.
Christianity is not a religion; it is a relationship. Love cannot exist without relationship. It can be manifested only where there is an object to be loved. God’s love is first love. You can’t love without God’s love. You can deny God, you can ridicule Him, you can slander Him, you can ignore Him but His love remains constant, unchanging. If you say you love God, God loves strangers, loves widows, loves orphans, loves the needy. You should be under obligation to love your fellow brothers, to love others, to love your neighbours. By His love we love. Through His love, we are a new man. In His love, we have newness of life.
God’s love centres in His will. It is His will to give. It is our will to give back and also to receive the gift freely given. Ability to achieve is given by God. We thought we can do all this by ourselves. You can laugh by yourself. But you have failed to realise that to laugh is by God. A God – fearing person must always be conscious that all abilities are divine endowment. Life must be treated with reverence. It is God Almighty who determines the beginning and end of life.