» Love

How to Love Jesus

Written by on April 15, 2010 - 22 Comments

“Jesus says, ‘I love you just the way you are. And I love you too much to let you stay the way you are’” (Mother Teresa).

One of my favorite gospel passages is the post-resurrection encounter between Jesus and Peter when Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” I love this passage because there have been many times in my life when I know Jesus has asked me the same question and it has forced me to enter deeply into my heart to find the answer.

Some days I’ve been able to answer with a resounding “Yes!” Other days, my answer has been more lukewarm: “Lord, I do love You…but not enough.”

Jesus asked Peter this question three times so that Peter would be given the chance to reverse his triple denial of Jesus. Just as Peter denied Jesus three times so now he would three times express his love for the Lord. Jesus takes the initiative to bring Peter to repentance for his sins. How beautiful! Even when we offend Jesus He draws near to us; He takes the initiative in leading us back to Him through repentance.

“Do you love me?” It’s a question that any serious follower of Jesus Christ must reflect upon because love for Jesus is at the heart of our spiritual lives. So today I invite you to look into your heart and respond to Him. Do you love Him?

None of us loves Jesus perfectly; but if we try to love Him then it will necessarily play out in our daily lives. So, how do we love Jesus—practically? How does it translate into our daily living? Read more »

Dandelions for My Mom and the Lord

Written by on February 10, 2010 - 13 Comments

When I was a little boy I used to pick dandelions for my mother. I’d be running around the backyard and notice those bright, curious, little yellow weeds. Of course, at the time, I didn’t know they were weeds; I thought they were flowers. I knew that giving flowers was a sign of love, and I knew that I loved my mom, so in my little world dandelions made perfect sense. I’d walk into the house and proudly announce, “Mommy, I picked you a flower!” With a bright smile she would say a huge thank you, give me a hug, and then put the dandelion in a little glass of water and place it on the windowsill above the kitchen sink.

My mother didn’t care that I gave her weeds. Really, would any mother? She was simply overjoyed at the little act of love that her son offered her. It really wasn’t about the dandelion; it was about the son doing his best to show his mom that he loved her. And isn’t that enough to lift a mother’s spirits, to touch a mother’s heart?
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The Heart’s Deepest Longing

Written by on October 20, 2009 - 7 Comments

6a00e553f4eb4f8833010535605369970b-800wiThe deepest longing of the human heart is to love and to be loved; and what’s so amazing is that no one needs to teach us this truth.  We know it innately.  Our hearts long for love and we want to love back.  But this longing to love and be loved often gets people into trouble because they try to fill that longing with things that simply can’t satisfy.  Think, for example, of people who live promiscuously.  They are, as the song says, looking for love in all the wrong places.  As they try to satisfy their longing for love, they are left empty. Read more »

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