Called to CHERISH

(Picture credits at end of post)

Read: John 21:15-19

So 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, “Tend My lambs.” (John 21:15 – NASB)

According to the Concise English Dictionary, the word “cherish” means: “to hold dear; to treat with affection, to caress; to foster, to promote, to hold closely to, to cling to.”

The word translated “love” in verse 17 is the Greek word phileo. According to Strong’s concordance it means “to be a friend to,” and “to have affection for.”

Because of Peter’s denial of our Lord he would not claim he had that stronger, moral, agape love.

He had learned not to trust his own love for Jesus. So, mustering up all the sincerity and honesty within him, he told our Lord that he loved him with phileo love. In effect he was saying, “Lord, I cannot claim to love you yet with that supreme love you demand of me, but I love like a friend; I have great affection for you; I cherish you.”

Jesus did not reject Peter’s declaration. On the basis of Peter’s sincere affection; on the basis of his friendship; on the basis of his cherishing, Jesus said to him, feed my sheep (v.17)

You may be feeling you are not able to serve the Lord because your love for Him has not yet reached the supreme level. You have failed Him before, and therefore feel unable to serve Him with the wholehearted devotion He deserves. You are waiting to serve Him when you can say your devotion to Him is complete. You don’t trust yourself enough to claim total devotion – love of the supreme kind.

Above all Jesus wants your love for Him to be real; if all you can offer Him at present is friendship, affection, and a cherishing love, He will not deny you the opportunity of serving Him. You are on the road to perfect love, as Peter was.

Tradition tells us that Peter asked to be crucified upside down because he did not consider himself worthy to be crucified in the same manner his Lord was crucified. At the end of his life Peter did have the supreme love for Jesus he would not claim at the beginning. Though he could not claim it then, he served the Lord with what love and affection he had. So can you.

The Love You Can Offer

© Saturday 4^th October 2014 – by Christopher Shennan

The love that you render to Jesus now,

May not yet have attained that fervent heat;

You long to offer to that thorn-crowned brow,

The ultimate gift to lay at His feet.

Your failure, you feel, has disqualified

You from the race – made you unfit to run;

To offer service to the Crucified,

Or to win a prize when the day is done.

Yet Jesus accepts the love you can give,

Though it may not be all you aspire to

He wants you to serve Him each day you live –

You’ll give Him all the love you desire to.

Don’t despise the small love that you give Him;

He’ll cause it to grow each day you live in.

 My website: http://www.christophershennan.ca
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