So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to
Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, 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 again a second time, “Simon, son of
Jonah, 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
Jonah, 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
all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.
John 21:15-17
God is in the restoration business. He knows that we are fallen humans, and that we are prone to messing up. He sees it, and He loves us anyway. Take Peter, for example. Jesus told Peter that he was going to deny Him. He knew that Peter was going to mess up, but He loved him anyway. He loved him and restored him to his rightful position. In our text for today, we see that Jesus still wanted Peter to "feed His sheep". He still had work for him to do. He didn't allow his failure to disqualify Him from a greater purpose. We read that, but I wonder if we believe the same restoration He has for Peter is available to us.
See, that is the problem. We believe that God can restore Peter, who denied him -- multiple times -- but we don't believe He can restore us from our shortcomings. We believe that He gave Abraham and Sarah their promise even in their old age, but we think that it is too late for us to receive ours. We believe that Jesus cast out demons and destroyed yokes of bondage, yet we think we will suffer with ours forever. How dare we! How dare we believe that God created the world from nothing and then doubt that He can change our world! How dare we believe that God created man in His image and likeness but doubt that He can ever change us! How dare we believe that He raised Lazarus from the dead but doubt that He can breathe life into our marriages, finances, and ministries! How dare we! This is a time in which we can no longer read the bible as if it a story. We must read it as truth that is applicable to our lives. God really did the things that are written. He really healed, restored, and set free! He allowed them to be written so that we would have an example on which to base our faith.
"How dare you" is a phrase that implies shock, belief, or indignation. I believe that is how God feels about our lack of belief today. He wants us to trust Him completely, and it is insulting to Him when we don't. Either we believe the word of God is true, or it isn't. Put your faith into action this week and believe that God is going to do exactly what He promised. Make it personal. Believe Him for something specific in your life. Find a scripture that supports it and refuse to be shaken. We will no longer operate in fear and doubt, but we will stand boldly, firmly, and confidently in our beliefs!
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