Key To Ministry

In John 21 we find the key to ministry. Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love Me?", three times. Now, without elaborating on the different Greek words here and just taking it at face value, notice what Jesus DID NOT ask Peter. Jesus did not ask him, "Peter, do you love ministry?" But rather, "Do you love Me?" That's it! That is the key to ministry--loving Jesus. For you see, if you just love ministry, you will burn out. But if you have a burning love for Jesus, you'll have an effective ministry till Jesus calls you home. I will let the words of Oswald Chambers complete our thought for today:
"Today we have substituted a doctrinal belief for personal belief, and that is why so many people are devoted to causes and so few are devoted to Jesus Christ....If I am devoted solely to the cause of humanity, I will soon be exhausted and come to the point where my love will waver and stumble. But if I love Jesus Christ personally and passionately, I can serve humanity, even though people may treat me like a 'doormat.' The secret of a disciple's life is devotion to Jesus Christ, and the characteristic of that life is its seeming insignificance and its meekness. Yet it is like a grain of wheat that 'falls into the ground and dies'--it will spring up and change the entire landscape (John12:24). --Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost For His Highest", June 19 devotional.