A mission without love is ambition
John 21 (20) Mission without love is ambitious (John 21:15)
"A mission without love is ambition"
Vision is important to people. There is development only when there is a vision. But there is something more important than vision. it is love 'Love for the Lord' is more important than 'Vision for the Lord'. Martha worked for the Lord, and Mary gave her heart to the Lord. Martha is precious too, but the Lord said that Mary chose the better side (Luke 10:42). The most important thing is to love the Lord.
In the movie 'The Violin on the Roof', the main character, Tevye, asks his wife. “Do you love me?” Without answering those words, the wife continued to tell the story of what she had been struggling with for 25 years. Then Tevier asks again. “I know that. But do you love me?
It is said that the problem is that ‘love is cold’ rather than ‘hard life’. If there is love, labor becomes joy, and pain becomes joy. As long as there is only love, you can digest any misfortune into happiness. The biggest problem is that love has grown cold, and the biggest challenge is to restore it. “Work for the Lord” is important, but “love for the Lord” is more important.
A mission without love is ambition. So, before restoring Peter's mission, the Lord first asked, "Do you love me?" The question is, after all, “I love you.” He doesn't even ask, "Do you love me?" Sometimes I say to my children, “Guys! Do you love Mom and Dad?” means “I really love you guys.” A life of sharing love like that gives great strength, courage, and hope.
Love is the starting point of miracles. The miracle of Oh Byeong-yi also happened because the Lord loved the people. There are many people who overcame illness with the thought of being loved. In many cases, one word of being loved overcomes trials and brings laughter back. A life of giving and receiving love creates great things.
When you pray, you hear the voice of the Holy Spirit saying, “I love you” and say, “Lord! I love you too!” With just one word, the whole body is filled with vitality and all problems seem to disappear. That vitality is the source of strength that changes me and overcomes the environment.
< Confess your love boldly >
“Do you love me?” Peter answered quietly. Look at verse 15. “Lord, nothing else. You know that I love you.” Looking at this answer, unlike Peter's usual appearance, he is serious and calm. If it was like the old days, he would have answered with an absurd face. "Lord! I'm sorry. Do you really not know that I love you? I love you more than anyone. Even if everyone else leaves, I won't leave. I will bury my bones before the Lord.”
He might have answered that in the past, but having said so and betrayed him some time ago has made him cautious and humble. So, the answer to confessing love was completely entrusted to the judgment of the Lord. “Lord! You know that I love you.”
There are many who will answer like Peter now. I really love the Lord, but contrary to my heart, there are many times when I turn away from the will of the Lord. He obviously loves the Lord, but he has a love for the world in his heart, forms and hypocrisy, sometimes lies, and gives priority to his work. In a larger sense, it is denying the Lord.
Each time you hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in your heart. "Do you love me?" Then boldly confess "Lord! Does the Lord know that I love you?” The confession was, “Forgive me. I failed the Lord again because of my weakness, but only my heart truly loves you.” When there is such a confession, we overcome the guilt and gain the strength to live as it is.
In that sense, “Do you know the Lord? Do you know that I love you?” is one of the most powerful prayers. When I sing hymn 405, “You saved a sinner like me,” sometimes the lyrics are changed like this. “You know? you know? you know? Lord!" When you confess that confession, it seems as if the bonds in your heart are opened, the chains of guilt are released, and your shoulders that have been burdened with a heavy load are stretched out.
Even now, the Lord asks me to fail too often. "Do you love me?" Then he said, “Lord! Don't you know that I love you? No matter how miserable I am, I have no choice but to love the Lord and love the Lord.” The wound will be healed quickly, and Satan's arrows will be pulled out of the heart.