Do You Love Me?

General Conference is coming up really soon already! I believe now is a good time to reflect on past General Conferences and refresh our memory on talks that has been given. I have decided to go over the talk Elder Jeffrey R. Holland sopke on, "The First Great Commandment." I hope to talk about this talk in a way of how much we think and care for our Savior. That we can take the time to ponder how much we are grateful for him for what he did.

I will paraphrase the story that Elder Holland spoke on last October. Jesus Christ has repeadedly told his Apostles that he wasn't going to be with them physically present with them for very long. When Jesus crucified the Apostles were left alone. With Jesus Christ gone the Apostles didn't know what to do and all the Apostles turned to Peter, the senior Apostle, as to what to do. Here Elder Holland gives his "nonscriptural liberty in [his] portrayal of this exchange." "Peter said to his associates: "Bretheren, it has been a glorious three years. None of us could have imagined such a few short months ago the miracles we have seen and the divinity we have enjoyed. We have talked with, prayed with, and labored with the very son of God Himself. We have walked with Him and wept with Him, and on the night of that horrible ending, no one wept more bitterly than I. But that is over. He has finished the work, and he has risen from the tomb. He has worked out His salvation and ours. So you ask, 'What do we do now?' I don't know more to tell you than to return to your former life, rejoicing. I intend to go fishing." At least six of the ten remaining apostles were in agreement and went to there normal day to day lives.

So Peter and some of the others went back to fishing and they were having no success from the night before catching no fish. Jesus Christ appeared to them in his resurrected body, though they did not recognize him immediately. Jesus told them to cast the net on the right side of the ship and of course they received multiples of fish. Peter recognized his Savior and jumped out of the ship to meet Jesus. Now here is the point I want to focus on. Jesus after greeting Peter and the others, asked Peter, "Peter, do you love me more than you love all [these fish]?"(John 21:15) Peter readily replied "Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee."(John 21:15) Jesus again asked Peter the same question. Peter, being a little confused answered the same reply a little hesitant this time. Again Jesus ask him the third time if Peter loved him more than the fish. Peter being really confused this time and maybe pondering this time seeking and honest confirmation in his heart to the answer he had readily given the first two time and he said yes, he loved him more than the fish.

So the question I have is, do we really love our Savior or do we just profess that we believe in him and love him? I really want you to imagine and ponder on this. Imagine that Jesus ask you three time if you love him more than anything else than what the world has to offer. Do you really love your Savior who made it possible for you to return to your Heavenly Father? Do you love Jesus Christ who paid for our sins and made it possible for us to have a resurrected body? I think it is important to ponder this question just as Peter pondered the question Jesus asked him the third time. We can show our love for our Savior by doing our best, to follow the commandments which he has given us. "We need to understand at least one commandment, the first and greatest commandment of them all-Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,and thy soul, and all thy strength, and with all thy mind."  Know that the Savior Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father Loves us and he wants what is best for us.