Confidence Killers, John 21:1-25

Have you ever messed up? I mean really messed up. You took a risk at work and failed miserably, or invested money and lost it all. Perhaps you tried to take a short cut on a home repair and ended up paying more just fixing your mistake, than the entire job should have cost.

We all make mistakes. Sometimes those blunders cost us more than money, they cost us our confidence. It’s hard to “get back on the horse” after disappointment. We live as though our past failure now defines us, rather than seeing it as an isolated incident or an opportunity to learn.

Our scripture passage today, touches my heart. Peter is asked by Jesus if he loves him. His response is so telling. Each time Jesus asks Peter he replies “Yes, you know I love you.” The third time Jesus asks, Peter is hurt and replies, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Peter is correct, Jesus knows all things. He knows the depth of Peter's love, but Jesus also knows Peter is insecure and requires reassurance. He needs to believe that his denial of Christ is not a reflection of his love, but rather his fear.

Jesus is comforting Peter not questioning him. He is saying, “I know you love me, but do you?” Jesus wants Peter to get beyond the guilt of betraying him and to “get back on the horse” and serve.

Jesus is confident that our failures don’t define us, He does.

Read the entire passage on Biblegateway John 21:15-25