By Manny Vazquez, M.S., LMFT, Called to Help Heal and Restore the People of God Through Christian Counseling
Thursday, August 20, 2026
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Early this morning, our Blessed Holy Spirit took me to John 21:15-19, where the Word of God states:
“When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?’
‘Yes, Lord,’ he said to Him, ‘You know that I love You.’
‘Feed My lambs,’ He told him.
A second time He asked him, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love Me?’
‘Yes, Lord,’ he said to Him, ‘You know that I love You.’
‘Shepherd My sheep,’ He told him.
He asked him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love Me?’
Peter was grieved that He asked him the third time, “‘“Do you love Me?”’” He said, ‘Lord, You know everything! You know that I love You.’
‘Feed My sheep,’ Jesus said. ‘I assure you: When you were young, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.’ He said this to signify by what kind of death he would glorify God. After saying this, He told him, ‘Follow Me!’’ (from the Holman Christian Standard Bible [HCSB] version of the Holy Scriptures)
As you know, earlier in the Gospel account, Peter had betrayed our LORD Jesus by denying Him three times right outside from where the Jewish leaders were accusing Him (John 18:15-18; 18:25-27; Matthew 26:69–75; Mark 14:66–72; and Luke 22:54–62).
In the account above, from John 21:15-19, there is a subtlety in the original Greek for the words for love that Jesus used and the ones that Peter used to respond to our LORD. When Jesus asked Peter the first two times if Peter loved Him, our LORD used a word for love that signifies total commitment. Peter, however, responded with the word love that is less intense, one that does not mean total commitment, perhaps because of his earlier betrayal of Jesus. When our LORD Jesus asked Peter a third time if he loved Him, Jesus then used the word for love that Peter had been using, and it cut Peter to the heart because he realized that Jesus was now agreeing with Peter that he was not fully committed to following Him, at least not fully yet. However, as we can see, the dialogue ended well for Peter because our LORD not only indicated that Peter would love Him with a whole commitment, but that Peter would one day be martyred for following Jesus.
The lesson that I take away from this passage of Scripture that can be easily missed if one does not consider the original meaning of the words used is that we must be fully committed to Jesus, even if it costs us everything, up to and including our lives. Our LORD does not expect us to sacrifice our lives for Him, but if life circumstances demand that we do so, then we must be willing to give our lives for the cause of Christ, like the all Apostles did. This faith in Christ that we have is not for the faint of heart.
That we will face opposition in this world because we are Christian is a given. In fact, I would say that if you have not faced harsh backlash for being a Christian, you may not be doing Christianity correctly. Someone once said that our enemy does not take shots at inconsequential leaders. If you are doing his bidding by not engaging the world’s people with the Gospel on all fronts, then the enemy will pretty much leave you alone. If you are living a life of no consequence for the Gospel, the enemy loves you, and he will leave you alone.
I have met so many dear Christians, people of deep faith, who suffer from all sorts of maladies – cancers, diabetes, heart problems, terrible depressions, high anxieties, horrible traumas, you name it – and you need not look very deep to see their far-reaching and abiding love for God. But one thing that I do know about our LORD God is that He will heal you if you ask Him effectively and with great fervor (James 5:16). Disease, pain, heartache, worry, none of that, comes from God. It is all a perversion of the enemy of our souls. But, praise be to our LORD, He can heal all of these things and restore us fully, if we walk closely with Him.
Our LORD will always love His People with a love that surpasses all human understanding. The Bible teaches that our God will fight for you; He will engage with the enemy of our souls, and He will defeat that stupid devil’s schemes meant to harm you, and He will destroy all of his minions arrayed against you.
Moreover, our Blessed KING is coming to face off against the antichrist and his demons. When our Blessed LORD returns, the Holy Bible promises that He will destroy His enemies with the Sword in His mouth (Revelation 19:11-16), or the Word of God. Do you see, dear Christian, that you literally have nothing to fear? For even if our enemy were to kill you before our LORD’s return, you will go directly into the presence of Christ and His Heavenly Host. Praise to our KING of kings and LORD of lords, that He goes before us, even now. Amen and Amen and Amen.