Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these do?” He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” … Jesus said a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” … Jesus said a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” and said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” John 21:15-17
New English Translation
Have you ever given someone a Valentine with the question “Will You Be Mine?” and then boxes to check “yes,” “no,” or “maybe so?” Do you remember the curiosity and the dread you felt waiting for a response? Or maybe you simply had a crush and the question lingered in the back of your mind whether the person liked you back. The worry that maybe they like someone else or that they can see right through you and know you like them is real. We feel unease when we don’t know how someone feels about us, especially when we know how we feel about them.
We already know that God loves us (John 3:16). There is no wondering about how He feels about us. Yet, we see in John 21 that Jesus asked Peter whether he loved Him. God knows everything, so He know who loves Him. So, if He already knows who loves Him, why is He asking? You know in those movies where the one character obviously likes someone but isn’t willing to admit it? I’m wondering if it’s something like this. Maybe God just gives us the opportunity to examine our hearts and decide whether we love Him enough to say it out loud and let our lives reflect it.
When I think of loving God, my mind automatically goes to the scene in Bruce Almighty where Bruce, having been granted all God’s power by God Himself, is trying to use God’s power to make his soon ex-girlfriend love him. To Bruce’s surprise, nothing happens. He looks at God and saddened asks why it didn’t work, to which God replies that He cannot make anyone love Him, they have to choose for themselves.
God cannot force you to love Him, which we talked about what it means to love God in “What is Love?” last week. From that, we learned that love largely has to do with respecting God and obeying Him. He cannot make you respect Him, nor can He make you obey Him. Why is this true if God is all powerful? It’s actually a really interesting thing. God decided to limit Himself by gifting us free will. He wanted a genuine relationship with us, one where we wanted to be with Him, not where we were forced to stay with Him.
The crazy thing is, even when we use our free will to hurt His feelings and ditch Him, He still loves us just the same. Sure, He doesn’t like it when we sin and run from Him, and He definitely does not approve or accept such behavior, but He loves us just the same. He’s always ready and willing to welcome us back into relationship with Him when we turn back to Him (Luke 15:11-32).
So, as Valentine’s Day comes closer, think of this, God is offering you a Valentine asking whether you will be His Valentine. The thing is, there is only a “yes” or “no” check box on His. There is no such thing as “maybe so” with God. You either love Him or you don’t, you can never play both sides of the field (Matthew 6:24). Take some time and examine your heart today. Where does your loyalty lie? Are you trying to live in worldly things and pretend you’re devoted to God? Or are you devoted to God? Now is the time to decide who will be your Valentine for life.