But, do you love ME?

I wonder if there comes a time in the life of every follower of Jesus where they hear Him ask, “But do you love ME?“

The response might be, “I do. I go to church. I read my Bible. I have my devotions regularly. I’ve given up this or that for Your sake.”

And yet we hear again, “But do you love ME?”

Now we might start to question ourselves, “Do I really love Him? How can I be sure that my answer is one hundred percent yes?” More explanations, or defenses pop up inside our minds.

“Yes, Lord. I gave my life to You years ago. We have walked together for so long. I’ve worked on the things You’ve asked me to work on, and changed the ones You wanted me to. Yes, I’ve stumbled often and made mistakes, but I keep getting up, confessing and repenting. I keep trying to grow as You draw me closer to You. Yes, I think I love You”.

But the questions do not let up. “Why do you do those things? What motivates you to follow and obey Me? Is it because of what you think you can get from Me?”

“Lord, You alone have the words of life. I know You are the only truth. Where else would I go? I believe in the Trinity, and that Jesus is the Son of God. Yes, Lord, I love You!” To prove our point we might even reach for the Nicene creed to add substance to our protestations.

• We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, of all that is, seen and unseen. 
• We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. 
• Through him all things were made. 
• For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. 
• For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. 
• On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 
• He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. 
• We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic (undivided Christian) and apostolic Church. 
• We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. 
• We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. 

If we find ourselves in this position where there are questions about how real our love for Jesus is, we would do well to remember that after He rose from the dead, He had a similar conversation with the apostle Peter. In John 21, we read that Jesus asked him three times, “Do you love Me?” We can lose the emotional tautness of this moment after we have read this story a few times. But, when we are the ones Jesus is asking this question, and repeatedly so, what will our answer be?

And then a deeper question still, as the matter hasn’t been fully settled in our own hearts. “Why do you think you love Me?

This question invites us to search the depths of the motivations that hide out behind our choices, obedience, and maybe even our consistency. Why do we do the Jesus thing, really? Why do we keep going? Is it because we really love Him? Is it because we want something from Him, for example, His favor on our lives? Or, are we looking for signs and miracles? Do we do the Jesus thing because it is what we have always done?

Or, is it because we have found ourselves at that place where it is Jesus or nothing?

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭NIVUK
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© Debbie Mendoza, March 2026