Do You Love Me? Making Time for God

Oct 11, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: You Are the Focus of God’s Entire Heart

The Creator’s love isn’t abstract—it’s personal, costly, and unshakable. He didn’t send angels to redeem humanity but gave His only Son, Jesus, for those who’d rebel again and again. Your value isn’t measured by your performance but by His choice to call you His own. Every struggle with insignacity crumbles before the cross, where God proved you’re worth dying for. Stop rehearsing lies about your unimportance. Start declaring what’s true: you’re His irreplaceable treasure. [03:18]

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, ESV)

Reflection: What lie about your worth have you quietly believed? How would embracing God’s fierce love for you shift how you walk into this week?

Day 2: Even Imperfect Love Reflects the Father’s Heart

Human love—flawed, messy, yet persistent—mirrors a fraction of God’s perfect care. Parents keep loving through tantrums and rebellion, just as God stays near when we wander. His love isn’t a reaction to our goodness but the overflow of His nature. While earthly affection falters, His commitment never does. Your worst moments don’t disqualify you; they highlight His grace. [04:16]

“What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:11–13, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you seen glimpses of God’s love in imperfect human relationships? What part of your heart still struggles to trust His fatherly care?

Day 3: Miracles Follow Obedience in the Mundane

Exhausted fishermen, hauling empty nets, obeyed a stranger’s illogical command. Their worn-out “yes” led to a catch that strained ropes. Miracles don’t start with grand gestures but daily faithfulness. Jesus meets you in ordinary labor—laundry, spreadsheets, traffic—and turns futility into abundance when you surrender the nets. What feels pointless today might become holy ground. [07:05]

“He said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.” (John 21:6, ESV)

Reflection: What mundane task or routine have you dismissed as insignificant? How could offering it to Jesus today become an act of expectant faith?

Day 4: Love for Jesus Fuels Service, Not Duty

Three times, Jesus pressed Peter: “Do you love me?” Ministry to others—feeding sheep, forgiving offenses, showing up—can’t survive on guilt or obligation. Only love sustains it. Scruffy, wandering, bite-marked sheep test patience, but loving the Shepherd transforms duty into delight. Check your motives: are you serving to earn approval, or because He’s already won your heart? [17:41]

“He said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ He said to him a second time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’” (John 21:15–17, ESV)

Reflection: Where has serving others felt draining or resentful? How might reconnecting with your love for Jesus renew your joy in that work?

Day 5: The “Cool of the Day” Awaits Your Undistracted Heart

God designed Eden’s rhythm—work, rest, and intentional connection. He still comes in life’s “cool of the day”: moments set apart from screens, chores, and noise. Ten undistracted minutes with Him matter more than hours of half-hearted ritual. He doesn’t demand your perfection—just your presence. What clutter keeps you from meeting Him in the unhurried quiet? [15:28]

“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day…” (Genesis 3:8a, ESV)

Reflection: What practical step could you take this week to create a “cool of the day” space with God? How might prioritizing presence over productivity deepen your intimacy with Him?

Sermon Summary

God’s love confronts the lie that anybody is insignificant, unwanted, or beyond notice. God gave His only Son to redeem sinful people, while fallen angels who rebelled once were not redeemed. The Father’s love is not thin or occasional. It is deeper than even the best earthly parent’s love, and it calls negativity, self-hatred, and the language of worthlessness to be put to rest.

John 21 brings that love into focus through Jesus’ question to Peter: “Do you love me?” Peter is no polished hero. He is a regular fisherman, insecure, impulsive, always trying to win approval, walking on water and sinking, swinging a sword, and denying Jesus when the pressure comes. Yet Jesus prepares breakfast, waits until the right moment, and asks Peter not merely whether he can work, sacrifice, or make promises, but whether he loves Him.

Love for God is shown in where the heart’s treasure goes, and time exposes that treasure. Distraction keeps people from the “cool of the day,” that quiet place where God waits to fellowship without competition from phones, television, work, errands, or even religious activity. God does not need hours of exhausted performance. He wants a few minutes of undivided attention, a real connection with the One who loves, speaks, watches over, and knows every person by name.

Jesus connects love for Himself with feeding His sheep. Sheep can be difficult, wandering, biting, eating junk, and needing constant care. Ministry becomes unbearable when it is built on need, talent, guilt, or pressure. Love for Christ gives people the strength to care for His scruffy lot because they belong to Him.

The good news removes the barrier of sin through Christ’s once-and-for-all sacrifice. Right standing with God does not come through sinless striving, but through Christ as justifier and sanctifier, followed by daily fellowship. God may withhold quick answers because His larger target is eternal intimacy, not merely immediate relief. Human weakness does not make a person wicked. Peter was weak, but Judas had turned against God in his heart. Confession brings instant forgiveness, and ongoing struggles must not be allowed to rob believers of their position in Christ.

Key Takeaways

1. God’s love is not earned God’s love does not rise and fall with performance, maturity, or recent failure. Christ’s sacrifice proves that divine love moved toward sinners before they could repair themselves. The heart must stop repeating words that deny the value God has already declared. [05:03]
2. Time reveals the heart’s treasure Money can reveal love, but time often reveals it even more plainly. Constant distraction can quietly train the heart to live without awareness of God’s presence. Fellowship requires a deliberate portion of life that belongs to God alone, not merely spiritual thoughts mixed into a busy routine. [13:28]
3. Love for Jesus feeds difficult sheep Jesus does not tell Peter to feed the sheep because Peter is naturally qualified or because nobody else will do it. Christ makes love for Himself the motive for caring for people who can be messy, stubborn, wounded, and difficult. Service detached from love eventually becomes resentment, but love for Christ keeps His sheep precious. [17:41]
4. Weakness is not the same as wickedness Peter denied Jesus, yet Jesus prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail because Peter’s heart still belonged to Him. Judas looked outwardly involved in ministry, but his heart had turned against God. Ongoing struggle calls for confession and perseverance, not condemnation or withdrawal from God’s presence.

## [27:00]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[03:18] - The Father’s Deep Love
[06:03] - Jesus Restores Peter by the Sea
[07:31] - Do You Love Me?
[09:02] - Peter Was a Regular Man
[12:55] - Where Your Treasure and Time Go
[14:30] - Finding the Cool of the Day
[17:21] - Feed My Sheep Because You Love Me
[18:44] - Jesus Prayed and Lived Sent
[19:28] - The Good News Removes Separation
[22:24] - God’s Greater Target Is Intimacy
[25:17] - Weakness, Wickedness, and Forgiveness

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

John 21:15-17
“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” [07:31]

Matthew 6:21
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” [13:28]

Luke 11:13
“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” [04:21]

Observation questions

In John 21:15–17, what question does Jesus repeat to Peter, and what responsibility does He connect to Peter’s answer? [17:31]
What details about Peter’s past failures and insecurities help show that Jesus was restoring an ordinary, struggling man rather than a polished hero? [12:27]
According to Matthew 6:21, what does a person’s treasure reveal about the heart? How was time described as another clear sign of what a person values? [13:28]
In Luke 11:13, how does Jesus compare the goodness of earthly parents with the Father’s goodness toward His children? [04:21]

Interpretation questions

Why might Jesus ask Peter, “Do you love me?” after Peter had already made bold promises, followed Jesus for years, and failed Him publicly? [17:21]
What does Jesus’ command to feed His sheep suggest about the right motive for serving difficult, needy, or frustrating people in the church? [17:41]
How does the truth that Christ removed the barrier of sin change the way a believer should approach God after failure or ongoing struggle? [19:28]
Peter was weak and failed under pressure, while Judas’s heart turned against Jesus. How can a person recognize the difference between weakness that needs repentance and a heart that is resisting God? [27:03]

Application questions

Are there words of self-hatred, insignificance, or hopelessness that have become common in your inner thoughts or your speech? What would it look like to bring those words under the truth of God’s love for you? [03:49]
If your schedule from the past week revealed what you treasure most, what might it show? Is there a distraction—such as a phone, television, work, or constant busyness—that regularly competes with time alone with God? [13:55]
What could a realistic “cool of the day” look like in your actual routine this week: a specific time, place, and length of time when you can give God undivided attention? [14:43]
Is there someone in your family, church, workplace, or neighborhood who feels like a difficult sheep right now? How might love for Jesus reshape the way you care for that person without resentment? [17:53]
When you struggle with a repeated sin or weakness, do you tend to hide from God, try harder to earn His favor, or come honestly to Him? What would confession and receiving His forgiveness look like in that situation? [27:17]
Is there an unanswered prayer that has become a source of disappointment or distance from God? How might the desire for deeper fellowship with Him change the way you carry that request? [22:52]

Sermon Clips

32s

#UnfailingLove

“I want you to grab it today to hear nothing else you've got to hear. Number one, that nothing you can do can change him loving you. He doesn't love you because you earn it, because you deserve it. He doesn't love you at times. His love is unchangeable and unfailing. It's incredible. Our minds cannot conceive for remotely how deep and how beautiful his love is. It never changes.”

39s

#TimeWithGod

“And because of this, you have complete liberty and freedom to come into his presence every day, anytime you want. He's waiting for you. He's waiting for you. If you would just give him a chance, the most wonderful delightful thing, you don't have to spend hours there, even just ten minutes. But those ten minutes have to belong to him only. When you spend time with god, it can't be walking the dog. It can't be in the gym. It can't be in your truck on the way to work. It can't be doing other stuff because it's not all his attention.”

22s

#DigitalDetox

“It's almost tragic to me that... And I believe it. Cell phone is a wonderful tool to be used wisely and can be great help to us, but it mustn't control your life. The enemy has done all he can to keep on distracting you because he does not want you to take some of your time and spend with him.”

34s

#TimeIsTreasure

“You can tell a person's love and heart by where they spend their money. All the money goes to their boats or to their car or truck, to their family, to their hobby. Whatever their money is going, it tells you their heart's invested in that, for example. But in the natural, in life in general, your time is a precious commodity, and that's where I can tell where the treasure is in your life. How many hours we spend in front of a television or these days on the phone.”

40s

#MakeTimeForGod

“So God is interested in your life, and the enemies can do all he can to try to keep you from that cool of the day in your life. He'll keep you busy doing many things, but it's difficult for you to take time with God. Should you purpose today from here on out, I'm going to spend time with God. As I said, where your treasure is, your heart is. Where your time is, that's where your heart is. If you don't have time for God, then I'm concerned for you and your journey with him.”

35s

#GodsPresence

“Because I tell you from having walked this earth and being saved for almost sixty years now, I can tell you nothing compares to enjoying the fellowship of God. When you know him and walk with him, nothing on this planet can satisfy or bring more pleasure. Nothing. It's the most amazing experience to walk with him, but you must want it. And God's patient. He told me for many years as a preacher. He told me, Ed, I love the gray years,”

37s

#GodIsLove

“We think we associate it with romance. We associate it with dedication to our children. We associate that word loved in so many facets. But God himself is love. There is no real love outside of God. There are copies or things that may be formed that look like affection, love, desire, call it what you like, but real love is only found in God. So if someone's loving you, it is God expressing and manifesting towards you.”

35s

#WalkingWithGod

“I tell you from my own walk and journey, nothing compares to hearing and fellowshipping with him. He's so intimately involved in your life. He's so personable. You have humor. You have temper. You have all kinds of temperaments in this room. God made you in his image. He has more personality and love for you than you can dream or imagine. And the enemy works very hard to keep you not only from that knowledge, but from that constant relationship and fellowship. Are you listening to me?”

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