Daily Devotion, October 1, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read John 21:10-17.

What a “good news” scene this is! Can you imagine what Peter had been experiencing since the night Jesus was arrested and taken away? That was when Peter did exactly what Jesus said he would do, and Peter said he wouldn’t do: he denied even knowing the one he called “Lord.” The next day he watched Jesus be crucified. Then, according to this writer, he had seen the empty tomb on Easter morning and his mind had to be racing, wondering what was going on. He probably recalled Jesus saying he would rise from the dead, but could it really be true? Then, suddenly, that evening, Jesus had appeared to him and some of the other disciples. And a week later, he met with them again.

I wonder what those two meetings were like for Peter. Was he able to look Jesus in the eyes? Was his head down most of the time? Just before these verses we read for today, Peter jumped into the water and swam to shore when he realized it was Jesus. And in the midst of this encounter, Jesus offers forgiveness and restoration of mission to Peter.

It is a “good news” reminder to all of us when we are not faithful to our Lord. When we fail to say something or do something when we see people being done wrong. When we let fear cause us to not attempt to share our faith with others. In those and many other situations, we can know that Jesus understands and will forgive us, along with constantly inviting back out into the mission field of our everyday life. Do you love him? Go and serve his mission.

Personal Worship Option:

Join us this morning in worship as we conclude our sermon series on the good news as shared by the Gospel writers of the New Testament. And by the way, what is the good news according to you?