Serving God Despite Myself
John 21 |
Peter had denied the Lord, even though he had boasted to Jesus, "these others may forsake you, but I will never forsake you". But He did abandon the Lord.
Peter felt inadequate as well as guilty. He had not yet, along with the apostles, received the Holy Spirit. Blaming himself for his failures, he returns to his old life, the life a a fisherman. A broken man, overestimating himself, Peter is ashamed of his failures. He thought he could face any trial successfully but found out he could not. He is like us!
"Peter, do you love me?" Lord, I am your friend. "Peter, do you love me?" Lord, I am your friend.
"Peter, are you really my friend?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time. He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know whether I am you friend."
The Lord carefully designed the scene in John 21 to restore Peter to ministry. "Peter, feed my sheep." Thereby teaching us that despite our mistakes, our sins or our failures - if one is breathing, God expects us to serve Him.
Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were writtend down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. (John 21:25)