Questioning Peter regarding his dedication to the Christ, Jesus asked, "Lovest thou me?"John 21:16; Within that very month Peter had denied the Master three times, and now Jesus required him to avow his love three times. Peter had earlier perceived Jesus' true, spiritual identity to be the Christ, the promised Messiah.
The Master's question, "Lovest thou me?" must have echoed and reechoed in Peter's consciousness as perhaps it does in ours when we have neglected our dedication to the Christ in some way. But we, too, can correct our shortcomings. As Bible history records, Peter did rededicate himself to the Christ. He did feed the lambs and he did feed the sheep.
We may well ask what Christly qualities of thought demonstrate dedication to the Christ. Jesus indicated these when he said: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."Matt. 22:37-39; To love our neighbor with a love born of spiritual understanding, we need to recognize his Christliness and see him as we see ourselves, reflecting qualities that emanate from God.
