Yesterday Today ForeverSample

In this chapter, Jesus is about to tell Peter that he will deny Jesus three times. Peter is like all of us, for there is no human who has ever lived in perfect obedience.

We have, however, all lived in perfect denial. His work on the cross reveals His love is unchanging, even with our denial of it. John’s gospel records Peter’s denial because it shows all of us the love of Christ is not contingent on our love, something we all need to see.

Jesus is revealing what it looks like to share in His glory. He is revealing what it looks like to encounter an unchanging love. A love that has always been the same: yesterday, today and forever. Human love shifts like the sand, but His love is a rock. Human love changes like the seconds on a watch, but His love was nailed to a cross. Human love disappears like a vapor, but His love was here before the foundation of the world.

He welcomes us into His unchanging and constant love and gives us the very nature of Himself, His Holy Spirit, which is His love. Now, with His love as our new center, we can live out this new commandment to love others as He has loved us. Today may be different from yesterday, but despite how our days change, His love remains the same yesterday, today and forever. Now we, too, can love others the same yesterday, today, and forever, for it’s with His unchanging love that we love, fulfilling His command.

We love because He first loved us. And the world will know who He is because of  how we love each other. We need no longer to deny giving love to each other, for we have tapped into the source of all love, Jesus Himself.