Tuesday, April 26, 2011

YOUR TUESDAY MORNING DEVOTION!

DO YOU LOVE ME?!

by


John 21:15-17 (NKJV) "So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”  He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” 
He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” 
He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” 
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” 
He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” 
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."


  • Love: Agapao: wider, embracing especially the judgment and the deliberate assent of the will as a matter of principle, duty and propriety
  • Feed: Greek=Bosko: pasture, keep
  • Lambs: “lambkins”
  • Love: Agapao
  • Take care: poimaino: tend as a shepherd
  • Sheep: probaino: to walk forward, i.e. advance (literally, or in years): be of a great age, go farther (on), be well stricken.
  • Love: phileo: love as a friend; have affection for, denoting personal attachment, as a matter of sentiment or feeling

Many people love Me with their emotions, with phileo love. They worship Me with raised hands and their hearts feel genuine love for Me. Phileo love is acceptable love, it isn’t wrong love. It ascends to Me with sweet fragrance. Peter loved me with phileo love at this point.

But how many can say that they agapao Me? To love me even when I am not obviously there, when all sentiment and emotion are gone and life is terribly, terribly hard? When the child dies, when the husband gets dementia, when the Church turns against them, when the economy fails, when the food runs out and no answer from Heaven seems imminent? This kind of love requires full mental, deliberate assent of the will. To believe and love when there is no reason left to?

Agapao love will take you to the cross and you will go willingly, you will consent to go because you have learned as those sheep (walking forward, advancing in movement and in age) to trust the Shepherd. As lambkins, you are young in the faith, you do love Me. As probaino, you have walked long with Me, you have learned to trust me on the precipice of every steep cliff, every bitter storm and you still love Me. Agapao love is trust. Agapao love is abiding love.

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2 comments:

Nikole Hahn said...

I am biased, but I do so love Kathy's posts. It is so true. Sometimes, I wonder if people really love Him because they seem quite vocal about Him during good times and quite a bit less vocal during trial or when it's not popular anymore. Even then, God seems to always be put on a shelf like a statue to be admired rather than a living, all powerful God.

The Bernie Lutchman Blog said...

We are the most biased peeps ever because I feel a kindred spirit about her too!!!! I pray for her and her family...and really admire her work. This kind of message only comes from a committed and submitted heart, Nik!!
We get a lot of hits when she posts and I look forward to when I repost her devotionals...I hear from some of the women who read these messages...they don't comment but I know they are read! Thanks for your guidance in the past.