Responding to Jesus

John 21:17

He said, "Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you." Jesus said, "Then feed my sheep".

If Jesus had asked any of us the same question that He asked Peter,  surely our response would have been similar.  "Of course, I love You Jesus," is a refrain that each of us would speak very easily and we would believe fully in our sincerity.  Yet aren't we all a bit like Peter?  Our spoken proclamation of love does not necessarily measure up to our proven love.

Peter, believing his love for Jesus was obvious to Jesus, became frustrated.  So Peter challenged Jesus, saying, "Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you."  Jesus' response to Peter's challenge was essentially, "Prove it."

Jesus challenges each of us as well to feed His sheep.  He calls us to provide appropriate nourishment to the young lambs and encouragement to the mature members of the flock.  He calls us to go after any that leave the flock until they are found and brought back under the protection of the Good Shepherd.

Jesus calls on each of us who love Him to go out and do the work that He was doing.  He tended to all of the needs of the people, all the way to the Cross, because of His love for His Father.  Jesus expects us to take up His work, to take up our cross, because of our love for Him.

Let us go out into the world and join Jesus in the work that He would be doing for His Father in heaven if He were still on earth.  Let us allow Him to do His work through us.  Let us show the world His love as we respond to His question, "Do you love Me?"

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to tend to our every need, especially our need to be freed from the sin that separates us from You.  In response to Your loving kindness, mercy and grace, we surrender our lives to You.  We ask that You show us the cross that You have prepared for us.  We pray, Lord, that You instruct us in the way that we should go as we join Your Son in His work.  May Your Holy Spirit guide us and strengthen us for the journey.  Father, we pray that You release Your power through us so that others may discover the Way of the Cross.  We ask all these things in the name of the one who went to the Cross and shed His blood for us, Jesus Christ.