I’m glad to bring you the first edition of this column this year. Happy New Year! My prayer is that this year will be a year of divine opportunities for you, and you will not miss your God-ordained opportunities in Jesus’ name. Let me now quickly bring you God’s Word today. I believe you’ll be blessed.

Someone asked me recently: “What does it mean to love God?” His question was borne out of a sincere desire to know how really to love God. I am convinced that many Christians today who talk and sing about loving God don’t really understand what it means.

In John 21, Jesus asked Peter if he loved him more than these; that is, more than the other disciples. Peter answered in the affirmative three times. The question was necessary because Peter was to be the leader of the disciples. If he must take over from Jesus to lead the other disciples, he must love Jesus and his cause more than those he was to lead.

Peter declared his love for Jesus three times in John 21 but not the type of love that Jesus was talking about. The Amplified Bible brings out clearly, the difference in the usage of the word “love” by Jesus and Peter. By love, Jesus meant love with “reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion, as one loves the father.” But by love Peter meant a deep, instinctive, personal affection for Jesus, as for a close friend. Jesus and Peter were not saying the same thing. The Bible says Peter was grieved (saddened and hurt) because Jesus asked him the same question the third time.

The first and second times Jesus asked if Peter loved him, Jesus used the Greek word agapao, meaning “ardently, supremely, perfectly” And Peter answered with phileo, meaning “to like, be fond of, feel friendship for another” The third time Jesus used phileo – loved thou me? That is “phileo thou me?” since Peter had been using phileoin his answers two times earlier and this made him feel hurt.

Please note the progression of the questions. (1) Do you love (agapao) me more than these? (Comparison) (2) Do you love (agapao) me? (3) Do you love (phileo) me? Take note of Peter’s answer the third time: “Lord thou knowest all things: thou knowest that I love thee” (John 21:17 KJV). Did you see Peter’s humility? He was no longer bragging like he did before he denied Jesus thrice, or like he answered Jesus’ questions twice earlier on this occasion.

Twice he had answered Jesus he loved (phileo) him when what Jesus demanded was agapao. But Jesus even went further to question the phileo that Peter claimed to have for him, and all Peter could say in humility was: “Lord thou knowest all things: thou knowest that I love thee” (John 21:17 KJV). (Please note that the Amplified Bible shows that in his answer the third time, Peter still used phileo (a deep, instinctive, personal affection as for a close friend) for his love for Jesus and not agape)

The Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary says, “Contrary to popular understanding, the significance of agape is not that it is an unconditional love, but that it is primarily a love of the will rather than the emotions.”Agape love is God’s kind of love which He wants His children to have. We must love God and others as an act of our will and not based on our emotions, fleeting feelings.

Read complete sermon here http://www.speshsworld.com/2013/01/sunday-sermon-do-you-truly-love-god-1/
Sermon II http://www.speshsworld.com/2013/02/sunday-sermon-do-you-truly-love-god-2/

if you love me keep my commandment
I think I have loved God more by words and little by my actions
Ohh! Imperfect me!

No!

Nice Sermon

Thought provoking. Keep it up

Amen and God pls end ASSU strike for my younger one.

I love God. I love Jesus.
Last Bullet:
keep off sin.

God? Me i lyk am

Dat question 2 peter is 4 all of us

Jesus is stil asking d same question 2 us"do u love me"

Nd hw do u kw dat u love God?
1 by belving only in Him
2 love ur neighbour as ursef
3 evangelism, wen he said go in2 d world nd multiply, he's nt talking abt giving birth 2 as many as u can bt multiply in his kingdom

Love 4 God nd man covers d 10 commandments
May God hep us all so dat @ d end we wil nt cry had I know
Vanity upon vanity all is vanity

Thank God that my name is involved today "Peter"...And i know that for today sermon,God has already my prayers..

Happy new year!!!? Did u fall from. Krypton?

May God help us to truely love Him the right way. He who loves God will definately keep his commandments. "that I may know him and the power of his resurrection..." #HappySunday

If we trully love God we MUST love our neighbours as ourselves. If we do this the world will be a better place.

Yes i do.though am a sinner but i ackwnolegde my sins, my guilty i forsake,& i say i must confess my offence to the Lord !

The spirit is willing but the flesh is ...

He is my first love and my last love.
He is the reason why I am here. And I am forever grateful to Him.

Mmounwu!!! Many pipu wili cam here naw talking like say na dem cari d luv reach baba God place. If we really luv God, we for dey jolli wella, but na our hypocrisy dey make him ignore us make we suffer. Simply, I know sure say any1 does. Cos me I no know as I no dey sure.

I love him because he love me first

Most Nigerian christians and muslims fear God because of punishment, hell, and lack of blessings (if they sin).

I have come across a few who genuinely love God though. But these are the exceptions and not the rule.

Thanks for the sermon. Do I love God? I will not be quick to answer like peter, I think I need time to search my inward desires.

he is like sugar to me

End times tinz

God is love

god did not pay my school fees
god did not send me pocket money
god does not care if i starve to death
god is indifferent
i know the way people who care for me behave towards me, if my parents love me just the way god shows me love today i wonder where i would be.

daryoor: god did not pay my school fees
god did not send me pocket money
god does not care if i starve to death
god is indifferent
i know the way people who care for me behave towards me, if my parents love me just the way god shows me love today i wonder where i would be.

he love you more than anything..you have not just discover your purpose of living.you are doing something that you think is right... which is definitely wrong