Peter’s restoration by Jesus is one of the most touching scenes in the New Testament. The Lord not only forgave Peter, who had denied Him not once but three times to save his own skin, but also restored him and entrusted the care of the then-infant church to him.

When Jesus rose from the grave, He instructed the angel at the tomb to tell Mary to “go, tell His disciples—and Peter” (Mark 16:7). Peter was specially mentioned because Jesus knew that after such a heart-breaking mistake, the disciple was probably filled with guilt and sorrow.

Peter, on the other hand, thought that with his betrayal and Jesus’ death, everything was probably over for him. So he went back to his old job. And that’s where Jesus found him, fishing on the Lake of Galilee. The Bible tells us that Jesus gave Peter and the fishermen with him an abundant catch, and also made them breakfast on a fire of coals (John 21:1–18). The scene of men sitting around a fire to keep warm in the early morning must have painfully reminded Peter of what he had done just a few days earlier (John 18:17–18, 25–26). What was the Lord doing? He was showing Peter that He didn’t hold that sin against him, and that Peter didn’t have to be afraid of that memory anymore!

What a compassionate Savior we have! He knows all about your failures, but doesn’t hold them against you because He has completely and righteously forgiven you through His death on the cross. Like Peter, let the Lord’s forgiveness and love for you restore you to wholeness and propel you into your God-given destiny!
Joseph Prince Ministries
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