Have you ever been with somebody who doesn’t communicate their expectations? Well, Jesus isn’t like that. He totally spells out what it means to love Him, and what His expectations are!
Here’s a couple things that Jesus said about our love for Him…
- “If you love me, you will obey me.”
- “Do you love me? Feed my sheep.”
Our love for Him, then, is demonstrated in two ways.
The first way is through surrender and obedience. When I obey Him to the point of sacrifice, I show Him that I truly love Him, and my life becomes living incense that rises to His throne in worship!
Love becomes worship
Love for God rises up as worship to Him when it’s expressed by our surrender and obedience.
“Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” -Romans 12:1
True love and worship of God begins with sacrificial surrender. Jesus plainly said to love Him is to obey Him.
I present my mind, my spirit, my emotions, affections and desires, yes, even my very body to obey Him in all things. I prove my love for Him by obedience to His commands.
“If you love me you will obey my commandments.” -John 14:15
I’ve been going to “worship nights” for about two and a half years now. God has lit fires in living rooms all over the area where we gather to worship Him in song. I love to sing and worship God! Even so, I know that my singing can never truly rise to the level of what God calls “worship” without a surrendered, obedient life.
“Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.” -Ezekiel 33:32
God told Ezekiel that he was “nothing more” than a beautiful song to people if they refused to follow through and put what he said into practice. The same goes for us!
My life itself must “Sing to the Lord” a love song of obedience, otherwise my words of love are hollow.
But let’s go on now to the second way that Jesus told us we could love Him…
Loving His Body
I’m not at all an artist, but on one occasion God spoke to me to draw the head of Jesus, and then to draw His body. So I drew a stick figure- a round circle for His head, and connected lines for His body, arms and legs.
He told me to look at the bottom of the drawing- where His feet would be, and draw a circle there that represented me.
I’m at His feet worshipping Him.
But then He asked, “Is it possible to worship the Head, without including the Body?”
Go ahead and try it- Take a piece of paper, and draw it out for yourself and see!
“Is it possible to worship the Head, without including the Body?”
Jesus has a body- it’s us!
If I love Jesus, I have to love His body, because it’s part of Him.
This was the lesson that Jesus was teaching Peter.
“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, 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 a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, 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 everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” -John 21:15
Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Peter assured Jesus three times that he did. There’s an interesting conversation that’s going on between them that requires an understanding of the Greek words that’s worth looking up if you’re interested, but for now all I really want to do is make the point that Jesus told Peter that if He loved Him he should…
- Feed His Lambs
- Tend His sheep
- Feed His sheep
To paraphrase Jesus, He was basically saying, “If you really love me, you’ll love my Body. From the Lambs (the babes in Christ) to the mature sheep- you show your love for Me by loving them.”
Like most of us, Peter needed to be made to understand that His relationship with God was not simply a matter between him and Jesus.
Jesus is more than just a Head, he has a Body. And that Body actually consists of people like you and me!
Since the body is connected to the Head and is literally part of Jesus, we must love the Body as much as the Head. We cannot dishonor the Body without dishonoring the Head. When we honor the Body, we honor Jesus Himself.
I don’t think it was an accident that Jesus made the point three times! We tend to think that our relationship with God is merely between us and Him. God is trying to wake us up to the fact that if we’re going to have a relationship with Him, it will include everybody else that’s connected to Him.
A visionary word from Jesus
As I prayed about coming into the New Year, 2020, this word concerning His body was one of God’s “words” to me.
I cannot just remain in the secret places with Jesus, I must move out to the open spaces of nourishing and caring for His Body.
The word that Jesus gave Peter was visionary and absolutely life-changing!
Jesus was not allowing Peter a love relationship with Himself that did not include His Body.
I take this word very seriously.
I think the devil becomes alarmed when I develop an intimate relationship with Jesus in the secret place. I think he becomes terrified when I decide to take that relationship and extend my love for Jesus to the rest of His body!
Jesus is telling us what love for Him is. When we encounter our brothers and sisters we’re encountering Him fully, for they are all members of Him and make up His body.
The realization of this vision brings great glory to God! The greatest manifestation of Jesus comes to the world as we truly love one another.
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” -John 13:35