"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.' " John 21:15 "If you could have heaven and all you could ever have wanted, and Jesus wasn't there, would you be happy?....How many of us are truly in love with Jesus?" Francis Chan
Chan asks chilling, piercing, and convicting questions. They require some deep thought before we answer, and I don't think we really want to contemplate those questions too deeply at all. The answers, the real answers we come up with may well terrify and grieve us. They certainly grieve Him.
When Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him, Peter, as always, was quick to say he did. Yet his recent actions of denial, coupled with his fear of being closely identified with his Lord were before him and before Jesus. There can be no doubt that Peter loved His Lord. The problem lay in that he loved himself as much or more. Jesus knew this and Peter didn't really want to know it, or at least admit to it. How like him are we?
There's something else here though that goes beyond fear, the cost of following Him, and the concept of total surrender and devotion to Christ. It has to do with how we see Jesus Christ and how He actually fits into our day to day living. That's why Chan's questions are so penetrating. How much and how deeply do we really desire Him? What is it that we're really looking for? Are we seeking the fullness of blessing that He can give us, or are we seeking Him, His Person and Presence? That's why the question about enjoying heaven even if He weren't there is so impacting. It is so because a lot of us live much like that right now. We are far more interested in the blessing than we are the Blesser. We're more attached to the gifts than we are the Giver. The truth is if our lives were filled with fulfillment we might well be filled with satisfaction even though we lack any real sense of Him. The proof of this is seen in how many professing followers of Jesus live exactly like that every day. If it is so in this life, it would be so in eternity as well.
So we're faced with the second part of Chan's question as well as Jesus' first inquiry of Peter. How many of us are truly in love with Jesus? Do we really love Him? Peter said he did, but his love had limits. Jesus continued to probe until the truth of it all was squarely before Peter, and then he was broken before Him...and could then truly love Him. He will deal in the same way with you and I, particularly in these days in which we find ourselves. If you've been living a blessing based life, one where your love and loyalty are tied to what He gives, be prepared to come face to face with these questions, and directly from the Lord Himself.
Where do our hearts really dwell? In Him and His eternity, or in our own ideas about what makes for a fulfilling life? How rooted to this world are we? It's always been popular to call the place Jesus promised to prepare for us a "mansion." Someone said that we want our mansions to be here, so attached are we to this world. What is it that our hearts really long for? The mansion, or the Mansion Builder?
Blessings,
Pastor O
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