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Leg 4 Day 80
Jesus In Us
Scripture:
JOHN 21:15-24
JOHN 21:15-24 (The Message)
After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Master, you know I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
He then asked a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Master, you know I love you.” Jesus said, “Shepherd my sheep.”
Then he said it a third time: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was upset that he asked for the third time, “Do you love me?” so he answered, “Master, you know everything there is to know. You’ve got to know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. I’m telling you the very truth now: When you were young you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you get old you’ll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don’t want to go.” He said this to hint at the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he commanded, “Follow me.”
Turning his head, Peter noticed the disciple Jesus loved following right behind. When Peter noticed him, he asked Jesus, “Master, what’s going to happen to him?”
Jesus said, “If I want him to live until I come again, what’s that to you? You—follow me.” That is how the rumor got out among the brothers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that is not what Jesus said. He simply said, “If I want him to live until I come again, what’s that to you?”
This is the same disciple who was eyewitness to all these things and wrote them down. And we all know that his eyewitness account is reliable and accurate.
Life Lessons from Jesus:
Three times Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love Me?” And three times Peter says, “Yes Lord, You know I love You.” Jesus poses one question for each of Peter’s three denials. One opportunity to respond with affirmation for every time Peter had responded with rejection. After each time Peter says he loves Jesus, Christ gives him these commands: “Then feed My lambs … Then take care of My sheep … Then feed My sheep.” Jesus was teaching Peter that mere words don’t prove the depths of one’s love. Actions are the proof of love. 1 John 3:17-18 is a reminder of this truth. “Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.”
After we’ve sinned and failed God, we often feel unworthy of His restoration, but He is more than capable of taking people where they are and growing them into who they need to be. The biblical meaning of the word “restoration” can be defined as follows: “To receive back more than has been lost so that the final state is greater than the original condition.” The emphasis on biblical restoration is improvement, which requires taking action. It takes work, but God always gives us the opportunity to turn ourselves around and start taking steps in the right direction.
The WAY:
Consider these questions as you reflect on today’s reading:
No one is truly worthy of God’s love. That’s why it’s called grace. He forgives us and loves us anyway. What do you think about this facet of the grace of God?
In what ways does Peter’s restoration give you encouragement and hope?
Prayer:
Jesus, thank You for Your unconditional love and forgiveness. Thank You for restoring us when we’ve fallen and feel as though we can never get up again. I’m so grateful that Your love for me is not based on what I’ve done, but on who You are. In Your name, Amen.