Years ago when I was a young, brand new pastor, I was on a flight back to join my family on vacation after assisting in funeral back home. I spent the whole flight conversing with an off-duty pilot who was catching that same flight back to his home base. He happened to be a member of the Mormon church and we actually had a delightful conversation centered around our faith, the scriptures, and our understanding of God. As the plane was landing, he turned to me and asked what I personally believed that a person “had to do to enter in to the eternal kingdom”.

The unrehearsed response that rolled off my lips would set in to motion a series of steps that even to this day has been life changing for me. I simply replied saying: “I believe the only people who will be going to heaven are people who love Jesus.” And I will never forget his response as he seemed taken back, in agreement…affirming with this comment: “I believe the scriptures support that!”

I have no doubt, nor have I ever questioned the fact that this was a divine moment in my life. And it was not because I was so deluded to think I had uttered some profound truth that I had come up with or formulated. On the contrary, I was about to begin a journey in my walk of faith that would spur a burning question within me, a question that still challenges my heart today and that is this: “What does it really mean…to love Jesus?”

You know, …after all that Peter experienced with Jesus during those three years of ministry where he was one of the first disciples called to follow Jesus, I find it ironic that just prior to Jesus’s return to heaven, He turned to Peter and asked him the same question, three different times.

“Peter…do you love Me?” Do. You. Really. Love. Me?

I don’t know about you, but I would have found on that third occasion to begin feeling a bit of unease and anxiety.

“Yes…”, Peter assured Jesus after each time being asked that, as I’m sure most any of us professing believers would have done. Of course…we love Jesus. How could that even come into question?

Jesus had an interesting way of asking even those closest to Him questions that should challenge us all. “Why do you call me ‘Lord’, and not do the things I say?” (Luke 6:46)

In fact, we have recorded for us in the book of Genesis, the very first three questions God ever directed at man. You can read them in the third chapter there when God called out to Adam and asked:

“Where are you?” (Gen. 3:9)

Is that not an interesting question for God, who knows everything, …to even ask? Of course God knew where Adam was but it would appear Adam didn’t really know where he was. One thing is certain…he was not where he needed to be. He was hiding from God having distanced himself from God because he had sinned. He had disobeyed God, which is what ‘sin’ is. No need to complicate that definition- sin is breaking the commandment of God. (1 John 3:4)

One day, Adam was abiding with God and then the next thing he discovers- he was not abiding in God’s presence. That can happen to any of us…and most will admit, it happens often. I don’t know how many times I have heard people say, honestly and almost ashamedly…”I’m not where I need to be.” And have you ever stopped to ask yourself, ‘Why is that?’

The second question God asked Adam was this: “Who told you that you that…?” This was in response to Adam’s admission that he had heard God’s voice and ran in the other direction, wanting to hide himself because he was afraid and he was naked. That’s when God asked him…’who told you that…you were naked?’

That in itself, is one of the most profound questions God has ever asked, that all of us believers would benefit from to sit up and re-examine much of what we have ‘been told’. Who told you that you were worthless? Who told you nobody loved you? Who told you that you are ugly? Who told you that you were ‘gay’? Who told you that you were not who God created you to be when it comes to your gender? And who told you that it really did not matter if you obeyed me or not and that you could receive this gift of eternal life by just repeating some prayer you heard someone say?

Oh, …you read it on the internet, did you? Well that must mean it is true then, right?

We hear a lot of stuff these days and sadly…we are quick to believe it …for one reason or another. And it’s not always on the ‘web’ or TV sets we hear it from either. There’s a lot of deceptive lies we hear come across church pulpits throughout the land. Not much has changed as this was an ongoing problem throughout the history of God’s people, if what the bible has to say matters. (Jer. 14:14; Lamentations 2:14; Ezek. 13:6-10)

And that third question God directed towards Adam was “Did you eat off that tree that I commanded you not to eat off of?” (3:11). You know, that tree that God had made clear was not to be eaten from or else you would surely die!? (Gen. 2:17). What is it with our sinful nature that we just have a hard time believing that God means what He says? I mean, really…who told us that obedience to God was not that big a deal? God loves us and that is all that matters, right? How did we ever come to believe that lie? Do you think there is a reason God likens us to sheep, of all animals? They are not the brightest four legged creatures out there, from all I read and hear.

Now don’t get me wrong…God’s love for us is unconditional, but His promises are not. In other words, the promises that God makes throughout scripture are very conditional, as in, ‘IF…we do this…God will do that’.

So God had those three profound questions He asked of Adam and then we have that one question Jesus asked three times of Peter: “Do you love Me?”

Which takes me back to that airplane ride and discussion I had so many years ago. Upon my arrival home after the family vacation, I felt compelled to go and purse answers to that question that began to knock on the door of my heart – “what does it really mean to ‘love’ Jesus?”

I can remember that first morning back sitting down at my desk, opening my bible in search of answers and the very first verse I was confronted with was a statement made by Jesus Himself when He said: “IF…you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)

And He just doesn’t move on from there to give a sermon on tithing either. He stays on point in that discussion…saying “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” (14:21)

Continuing on…”If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word…and he who does not love Me does not keep My words…” (14:23-24)

Given all these quotes are recorded in John’s gospel, is it any wonder that he would later write in his first epistle that “this is love for God: that we keep His commandments. And…His commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3)

Did you catch that last part there, about how God’s commandments are ‘not burdensome’? It’s not hard to obey God and do what He says…IF…we truly love Him. Really…it’s not hard at all. It may be ‘hard on the flesh’, but that is supposed to be put to death anyway so what difference does it make what ‘flesh’ or that ‘old man’ thinks or feels?

When this verse about what it means to truly love Jesus began to resonate within me, do you know what I began to do next? I remember distinctly setting out to comb through the entire NT, for starters, and make note of and write down any verse I came across that even hinted at being a command or directive. I wanted to make sure I was obeying every, single command to ensure my love for Jesus was not just ‘empty words’. You do know of course, it’s easy to say…or sing about…how much we love Jesus. And He can see right through that, and does.

“These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.” (Matt. 15:8)

“Many will come in that day professing to know (or love) Him, but by their actions they will deny Him.” (Titus 1:16)

And let me tell you what I learned early on in this quest to answer that nagging question. It has nothing to do with setting out to ‘keep a bunch of commandments’. Which is what religion and a ‘form of godliness’ has always been about…keeping laws and rules and rituals. Again, let me say that this is NOT…what ‘loving Jesus’ is about. It is so much more and boils down to surrendering your life to Him and beginning to abide in Him. And it just seems to take forever to get this through our thick, carnal skulls. You have no idea how it pains me to say it took me nearly 60 years to learn this. But praise be to God…that He finally brought me to a place where I could just begin…to learn the answer to that question of what it means to truly love Him.

How about you? Have you given much thought to that question of late? You might want to do that.