Great comfort is mine when I digest the verses in which God declares His love for me. I have written some, such as these, on paper hearts which I then taped to my bathroom mirror:
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us." 1 John 3:16
"This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:10
"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" 1 John 3:1
The true cause to pause for reflection comes with the question Jesus had posed to Simon Peter during his reinstatement: "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" (John 21:15) The joy of having breakfast on the seashore with the resurrected Christ was still fresh on Peter's heart when the Savior got to the heart of the matter three times by asking, "Do you love me?"
I imagined Jesus inserting my own name in this very telling query: "Rachel, daughter of Russell, do you truly love me more than these?"
How much do I love you, Jesus? When I was drowning in a sea of selfishness and grasped your extended hand, did I tell you then that I loved you? When you blessed me beyond reason with two daughters and one grand, did my heart overflow in gratitude to you? When, in sickness of the heart I wept bitter tears and you held me close to your breast, did I, like the one leper in ten, return to hug you? Would I recklessly pour my most expensive possession at your feet, or would I join the rich, young ruler, walking away with a closed fist?
Do I truly love you more than anything or anyone else? With the grace of the Holy Ghost, may I, like Simon Peter, avow: "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." (John 21:17)
Then may I hear the voice of Jesus say, "Then feed my sheep. Follow Me!"
"Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them." John 14:21
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