Do you love Jesus?

So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these [with total commitment and devotion]?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend]." Jesus said to him, "Feed My lambs." Again He said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with total commitment and devotion]?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend]." Jesus said to him, "Shepherd My sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with a deep, personal affection for Me, as for a close friend]?" Peter was grieved that He asked him the third time, "Do you [really] love Me [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend]?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend]." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, when you were younger, you dressed yourself and walked wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and arms, and someone else will dress you and carry you where you do not wish to go." Now He said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And after saying this, He said to him, "Follow Me [walk the same path of life that I have walked]!" - John 21:15-19 (Amplified Bible)

When Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him, He used a word for love that signified total commitment. Peter responded with a word for love that signified his love for Jesus, but not necessarily his total commitment. This was not because he was reluctant to express that greater love but because he had been disobedient and denied the Lord in the past. He was, perhaps, now reluctant to make a claim of supreme devotion when, in the past, his life did not support such a claim. - John MacArthur

Is my love for Christ above my love for all else?

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. - Matthew 22:37-38 (KJV)

Jesus pressed home to Peter the need for unswerving devotion by repeatedly asking Peter if he loved Him supremely. The essential message here is that Jesus demands total commitment from His followers. Their love for Him must place Him above their love for all else. Jesus confronted Peter with love because He wanted Peter to lead the apostles, but in order for Peter to be an effective shepherd, his overwhelming drive must exemplify supreme love for his Lord. - John MacArthur

Do I love Jesus with total commitment and devotion?

Would others observing my daily conduct and interactions agree?

Does my commitment and consistency in studying God's Word validate my answer?

If you love Christ, never be ashamed to let others see it and know it. Speak for Him. Witness for Him. Live for Him. - JC Ryle

Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love. - Ephesians 6:24 (NASB)

When peace, like a river,

Attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot,

Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet,

Though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded

My helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin—oh, the bliss of

This glorious thought—

My sin—not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross,

And I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And Lord, haste the day

When my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound,

And the Lord shall descend,

Even so—it is well with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul. - Horatio Spafford

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxMqBInGT1ciZyzqGqCtXIQdHRvPhRMyrf

Be Encouraged to love Jesus with total commitment and devotion.

-Jeffrey Thornton