Chambers' text found here in the original English, and here in the modern English.

The Scripture passage for today is John 21:17:  The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."

     Same verse as yesterday AND the day before; a pattern in My Utmost that works…

     Okay, this is so in the sweet spot of life. Over three days, we see OW break down John 21:17 and get us to see this:

(a)     Jesus makes absolutely sure Peter knows Jesus knows he denied Him three times, and that he, Peter, is completely forgiven;

(b)     Jesus breaks Peter's heart by asking three times, but on the third time, Peter finally realizes it's because Jesus wants Peter to know…so Peter never has to wonder if he'll let Jesus down again like He did during His death and Resurrection.; and Peter gets it;

(c)     Now Jesus gives Peter marching orders: Don't just say you love me, show it by taking care of others the way Jesus would take care of them.

     It is so what He expects from us.  First, don't let your own self-criticism keep you from believing Jesus loves you and has forgiven you completely.  Second, ask God to help you see whether you love Jesus for what Jesus has done, will do, or is doing for you, or whether you love Jesus because you love Jesus.  Only those who love Jesus because they love Jesus have the power to change the world, their culture, their community, their family and even themselves.  All the rest are skating by on the bare minimum. 

     I can't help thinking of Isaiah 58…where God teaches us He's more interested in real action than repetitive religious routines.  PLEASE; if you haven't read Oswald's writing while you've been reading my commentary, go back and re-read the past three days, including my add-ons.  It's got the potential for being a game-changer if you hear what God's trying to say through all of this.      

So-Whats for Work:  Most Christians try to let their faith influence their work, an outside-in approach that has sporadic effectiveness, at best.  God wants an inside-out approach: Only after we've been changed are we equipped to change the world around us.

So-Whats for Home:  The hardest job in the world is being a loving parent, child, spouse, family member, and the best way to be ready for that job is the path we've been exploring in the March 1-3 blog posts.

CuriousChristian's Favorite Finds for the Day  

• An international team from diverse backgrounds are working hard to construct the first-ever comprehensive Theology of Work.  When finished, it will be a must-have tool for every pastor, every work/faith minister and every working Christian.  Check out the progress of the Project regularly, and get a peek at one of the first articles: the book of Revelation! 
• I love lighthouses, and my favorite is right here off the north shore of Massachusetts, Thacher Island's twin lighthouses. In addition to the romance attached to these mostly-19th century geographic landmarks, they serve as wonderful reminders of the role we believers play in the darkness of a sin-stained culture.  I also love them because they remind me God is SO BIG He can make an ocean, but we are so small we can only hope to rescue a tiny few in a tiny corner of the vast expanse.  Here's a great resource for all things lighthouse; and here's a terrific list of lighthouse webcams!
• Yesterday we did an hour-long interview with Jeff Pelletier over at World Talk Radio.  You can catch the interview--and Jeff's ministry through Internet radio---right here.
• For all the best finds to date, click here.

Got a weblink, picture, article, video, website, project or idea we should share? Send it to us at CuriousChristian@madetomatter.org for consideration! We'll add the best to the bottom of our blogs from time to time.