Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” (John 21:16, NIV)
What do you ask yourself as you go through a round of golf? Many of us would offer answers like these: “What were you thinking?” or “Why do you even play this game?” We’re sure good at beating ourselves up over a game!
But there are other questions that may help to reverse the trend of bad golf. You might ask, “How am I trying to shape this shot?” or “Where do I want to leave my next one?” On the range, too, you can provoke better practice by asking, “What swing thought helps me get the ball in the air on a straight line?” Making a habit of asking the right questions will push your game in a successful direction.
You can make similar gains in your walk with Jesus by asking key questions. In fact, some of them should be asked every day.
When Jesus walked the beach with Peter, restoring the apostle to his calling, he asked Peter one simple question: “Do you truly love me?” The question, asked three times, haunted Peter that day, reminding him of his thrice betrayal of the Lord. But it would not surprise us to discover that the question went with Peter each day for the rest of his life. “Do I love Jesus? I do! So what will this lead me to do today?”
A number of years ago, I read a magazine column by a man who had been a pastoral candidate. He realized after leaving a particular interview that he had been asked many good questions. But he had never been asked this one: Do you love Jesus? It is probably the most critical question of all, and yet despite years around churches and ministries, I have never heard of that one key question—the question that should order the way we live—being asked forthrightly.
One of our Links Players board members uses a list of priorities posted in his shower to set his thinking each morning. Big questions. Big ideas. Thoughts that never let him forget what his life is really lived for. What questions should line the walls of your shower? May I suggest you begin with these two: Do I love Jesus? How will that move me today?
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Jeff Hopper
May 18, 2012
Copyright © 2012 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday through Friday at www.linksplayers.com.