📖 Scripture Reading: John 21:15–25
🌊 What If Jesus Asked You the Same Question—Three Times?
Have you ever failed someone you loved?
Perhaps you promised you would be there, but when the difficult moment came, fear took over. Maybe you remained silent when you should have spoken. Maybe you walked away when someone needed you most.
And afterward, you wished you could go back and do it differently.
Now imagine meeting that person again.
But this time, instead of confronting you with anger, disappointment, or accusation, he looks at you with love and asks:
“Do you love me?”
You answer, “Yes.”
Again:
“Do you love me?”
“Yes.”
Then, for the third time:
“Do you love me?”
By now, your heart is hurting.
Why does he keep asking?
That is where we find Peter.
Peter had once boldly declared that he would never abandon Jesus. Yet when Jesus was arrested, Peter denied knowing Him—not once, but three times.
Now, after the resurrection, Peter stood before the very Jesus he had denied.
The morning began with breakfast beside the Sea of Galilee.
But what happened next was more than a conversation.
It was a moment of restoration.
It was a moment when Jesus reached into Peter’s deepest wound—not to condemn him, but to restore him.
And perhaps, as you read this, Jesus may be asking you the same question.
“Do you love Me?”
And if you answer yes, perhaps His next words are also meant for you:
“Follow Me.”
📖 SCRIPTURE: A Conversation That Changed Peter’s Life
After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter:
“Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Peter answered,
“Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said,
“Feed my lambs.”
A second time Jesus asked,
“Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter answered,
“Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said,
“Take care of my sheep.”
A third time Jesus asked,
“Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time.
He answered,
“Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said,
“Feed my sheep.”
Then Jesus told Peter that a time would come when Peter would no longer have the freedom he once had. Others would take him where he did not want to go. John explains that Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.
Then came two simple but powerful words:
“Follow me.”
—John 21:15–19
❤️ JESUS DID NOT CANCEL PETER—HE RESTORED HIM
At first glance, we might wonder why Jesus asked Peter three times:
“Do you love Me?”
Peter had denied Jesus three times.
Was Jesus making Peter suffer through the memory?
Was Jesus rubbing salt into an old wound?
I don’t believe so.
Jesus already knew Peter’s heart.
Peter himself eventually said:
“Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus did not need information.
Peter needed restoration.
The three questions may have brought Peter face-to-face with the three denials, but Jesus did not leave him there.
Every question was followed by an assignment:
“Feed my lambs.”
“Take care of my sheep.”
“Feed my sheep.”
Jesus was not simply asking Peter whether he loved Him.
He was showing Peter:
“Your failure is not the end of your story.”
Peter had failed Jesus publicly.
But Jesus was now restoring Peter personally.
And restoration came with responsibility.
Jesus was essentially saying:
“If you love Me, care for the people I entrust to you.”
Love for Jesus is not merely something we say with our lips.
It becomes visible through obedience, service, sacrifice, perseverance, and love for others.
🔥 FROM FAILURE TO ASSIGNMENT
Think about Peter for a moment.
This was the same Peter who had confidently said he would die for Jesus.
Then, when the pressure came, he denied Him.
His courage collapsed.
His confidence failed.
His promises could not carry him through the moment.
Yet Jesus still had a purpose for him.
That should give us hope.
Because sometimes we think:
“I failed God, so maybe He cannot use me anymore.”
But Peter’s story tells us otherwise.
Jesus did not say:
“You denied Me, so I am finished with you.”
He said:
“Feed My sheep.”
The Lord did not merely forgive Peter.
He entrusted Peter with a mission.
There is something deeply beautiful about that.
God’s calling is not based on our perfection.
It is based on His grace.
Of course, this does not mean our failures do not matter. They do.
Sin has consequences. Our choices matter. Repentance matters.
But failure does not have to become our identity.
Peter’s identity was not permanently:
“The disciple who denied Jesus.”
He became:
“The disciple whom Jesus restored and entrusted with His sheep.”
What a gracious God we serve.
🐑 “FEED MY SHEEP”—LOVE MUST BECOME ACTION
Jesus did not tell Peter:
“Spend the rest of your life feeling guilty.”
He gave him work to do.
Feed.
Care.
Follow.
Peter was being called to serve God’s people.
This is important for us because sometimes we spend so much time looking backward at our failures that we miss what God is asking us to do today.
Perhaps you have failed in your marriage.
Perhaps you have failed in business.
Perhaps you have made poor decisions.
Perhaps you wasted years.
Perhaps you once promised God that you would do something—and then delayed.
Perhaps you are carrying regret over something nobody else even knows about.
Bring it to Jesus.
Let Him restore you.
Then listen for His next instruction.
Because Jesus may not want you to remain beside the ashes of yesterday.
He may be saying:
“Now, follow Me.”
👣 THE SECOND TEST: “WHAT ABOUT HIM?”
Peter had just received a difficult revelation.
Jesus told him that his future would involve suffering and a death that would glorify God.
Peter probably had a lot to process.
Then he noticed John.
And Peter asked:
“Lord, what about him?”
Isn’t that just like us?
God gives us an assignment, and suddenly we look sideways.
“Lord, what about him?”
“Why does she have an easier life?”
“Why does he have more opportunities?”
“Why am I carrying this burden?”
“Why is their ministry growing faster?”
“Why does their family seem happier?”
“Why do they have more resources?”
“Why am I the one being asked to do this?”
We compare.
And comparison can quietly steal our joy.
But Jesus answered Peter:
“If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”
In other words:
“Peter, that is not your assignment. Your assignment is to follow Me.”
How freeing that is!
🎯 YOUR ASSIGNMENT IS NOT THEIR ASSIGNMENT
We cannot see the whole picture of another person’s life.
We see their success but not necessarily their struggles.
We see their opportunities but not their sacrifices.
We see their platform but not their private battles.
We see where they are going, but God knows where He is taking us.
Your assignment may be different.
Your timing may be different.
Your journey may be different.
Your preparation may be different.
And that is okay.
God does not need you to become someone else.
He wants you to faithfully become the person He created you to be.
A.W. Tozer famously wrote:
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
If we truly believe that God is wise, loving, sovereign, and trustworthy, then we can stop measuring our journey against someone else’s.
We can trust Him with our own.
💼 WHEN MORE WORK MEANT MORE TRUST
This part of Peter’s story reminded me of something from my own working life.
When I was a manager, there were occasions when I would delegate more difficult and heavier assignments to certain staff members.
Sometimes one particular person would receive more work than others.
Why?
Not because I wanted to punish that person.
Quite the opposite.
I trusted that person.
I knew that if I assigned the work to someone I trusted, I would not have to worry as much about mistakes. I knew the person could handle the responsibility.
One staff member eventually asked me:
“Why is it always me? Why do you give me more work than the others?”
I understood her question.
So I explained.
I told her about my own experience when I was younger and still working at the rank-and-file level.
My manager also gave me many assignments.
There were days when my colleagues went home ahead of me while I stayed behind to finish additional work.
But I did not see those assignments merely as burdens.
I accepted them.
I worked willingly.
I worked diligently.
And I learned.
I learned things my colleagues were not yet learning because I was being exposed to more responsibilities.
Eventually, my manager nominated me for Employee of the Month.
I received the award.
A few months later, I was promoted to supervisor.
Eventually, I became a manager myself.
Years later, I saw something similar happen with the staff member who had once questioned me.
She began to understand why she had been entrusted with more.
She eventually became one of the finalists for the company’s President’s Award.
She did not win the final title.
But even becoming a finalist was already a significant achievement.
Looking back, I realized something:
Sometimes what feels like extra burden is actually preparation.
And perhaps this is also true in our relationship with God.
🙏 WHAT IF THE ASSIGNMENT IS PREPARATION?
Sometimes we ask:
“Lord, why is this so difficult?”
But perhaps a better question is:
“Lord, what are You preparing me for?”
The assignment may be developing our character.
The waiting may be developing our patience.
The difficult people may be teaching us love.
The responsibility may be developing faithfulness.
The disappointment may be teaching us dependence on God.
The closed door may be protecting us from something we cannot see.
We should be careful not to assume that every hardship is directly sent by God for a particular reason. Scripture does not give us permission to explain every difficulty with certainty.
But we can confidently say this:
Whatever we face, God can use it to shape us when we surrender it to Him.
Our responsibility is not to understand everything.
Our responsibility is to trust Him.
🌅 MY OWN “WHAT ABOUT HIM?” MOMENT
There is another part of this passage that became deeply personal to me.
For many years, while I was still working in the corporate world, I prayed about writing devotionals and sharing what I was learning from God’s Word.
I remember thinking:
“When I retire, I will do it.”
I attended church seminars and conferences where I was encouraged to participate in God’s mission.
I also read Isaiah 6:8:
“Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And Isaiah answered:
“Here am I. Send me!”
I remember saying those words myself:
“Lord, send me.”
I meant it.
But in my mind, I thought I knew when.
Retirement.
When I was 57, however, my plans changed. I began helping my brother with his business.
I thought I would retire at 65.
Maybe even 70.
Then the business struggled.
At 59, things were not going well.
At 60, the business stopped operating.
I was deeply saddened.
I felt like I had failed.
And then, in that unexpected season, I remembered what I had promised God.
I remembered the devotional project.
I began writing after spending time in prayer and asking God for direction.
But even then, I struggled.
I needed income.
There were times when I stopped writing because I thought I should find secular work or start another business.
Yet somehow, each time I tried to move in another direction, I felt blocked.
So I returned to writing.
Again and again.
Until eventually I told the Lord:
“I said I would do this. I want to finish.”
❤️ I THOUGHT I WAS WAITING FOR RETIREMENT—BUT GOD WAS PREPARING ME
Now I see something I could not see before.
I had been saying:
“When I retire, Lord, I will serve You this way.”
But God may have been saying:
“Trust Me. My timing is not your timing.”
I thought the loss of the business meant failure.
But perhaps God was redirecting me.
I thought I had lost something.
But God was showing me something else.
I thought I needed to control the timing.
But He was teaching me to surrender it.
And this is why Peter’s story speaks so strongly to me.
Jesus said:
“Follow Me.”
Not:
“Figure everything out first.”
Not:
“Know exactly what will happen.”
Not:
“Make sure your circumstances are comfortable.”
Simply:
“Follow Me.”
That is enough.
👀 FIX YOUR EYES ON JESUS
There will always be someone to compare ourselves with.
There will always be another person’s assignment.
There will always be another person’s success.
There will always be another opportunity we wish we had.
But Jesus’ words remain:
“What is that to you? You follow Me.”
This is where peace begins.
Not when we understand everything.
Not when everyone’s life becomes equal.
Not when our circumstances become easy.
Peace begins when we trust the One who knows where He is leading us.
Charles Spurgeon is widely attributed with the simple saying:
“By perseverance the snail reached the ark.”
Sometimes our progress feels painfully slow.
But slow does not mean useless.
Small does not mean insignificant.
Hidden does not mean forgotten.
If God has given you an assignment, keep walking.
Keep praying.
Keep obeying.
Keep trusting.
Keep your eyes on Jesus.
✨ LIFE APPLICATION: WHEN JESUS SAYS, “FOLLOW ME”
Here are seven things I am learning from Peter’s story:
1. 🕊️ Pause when God is speaking.
Pay attention to the nudges, circumstances, Scriptures, convictions, and opportunities that cause you to seek Him.
2. 🙏 Pray before you act.
Ask God for wisdom and direction—not merely for Him to bless what you have already decided.
3. 👂 Listen for His instructions.
The Holy Spirit may lead us through God’s Word, prayer, wise counsel, circumstances, and a growing conviction aligned with Scripture.
4. 🤲 Make yourself available.
When God gives you an assignment, do not wait until you feel completely qualified or completely comfortable.
Peter certainly did not have a perfect record.
Yet Jesus still called him.
5. 👀 Stop looking sideways.
When you catch yourself asking, “What about him?” or “What about her?”, return to Jesus’ words:
“As for you, follow Me.”
6. 💪 Work willingly and faithfully.
Do not despise an assignment simply because it looks small or difficult.
God may be preparing you through it.
7. 🏁 Finish well.
There will be days when you want to stop.
Pray.
Rest when necessary.
Ask for help.
But do not abandon what God has clearly entrusted to you merely because the journey has become difficult.
Keep your eyes on Jesus.
✍️ JOURNALING: “LORD, WHAT IS MY ASSIGNMENT?”
Take a quiet moment with God.
Put down your phone.
Open your Bible.
Take your pen.
And ask:
“Lord Jesus, do I truly love You?”
Then ask:
- What is one area where I have allowed my past failure to define me?
- Is there something God may be asking me to surrender?
- Whose life am I comparing with mine?
- What assignment has God placed before me right now?
- Have I been saying, “What about him?” instead of asking, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”
- What is one obedient step I can take this week?
- What would “finishing well” look like in this season of my life?
Then write a simple prayer beginning with:
“Lord, I love You. Help me follow You even when…”
Don’t rush.
Let the words come from your heart.
🕯️ PRAYER: LORD, HELP ME FINISH WELL
Lord Jesus,
Thank You that when I fail, You do not immediately throw me away.
Thank You for Peter.
Thank You for reminding me that failure does not have to be the final chapter of my story.
You know my heart.
You know the things I have done well and the things I regret.
You know the promises I have made and the promises I have delayed.
You know the assignments I have accepted and the ones I have been afraid to begin.
Lord, forgive me for the times I relied more on my own plans than on You.
Forgive me for the times I looked at other people’s lives and asked, “What about them?”
Teach me to hear Your voice again.
Teach me to trust Your timing.
Teach me to obey even when I do not understand.
When the assignment becomes difficult, help me remember that I am not walking alone.
When I become discouraged, bring me back to Your Word.
When I compare myself with others, turn my eyes back to You.
When I remember my failures, remind me of Peter.
You restored him.
You gave him another assignment.
And You can restore and use me too.
Lord, thank You for the devotional work You have entrusted to me.
For years I thought I would do it later.
I said, “When I retire.”
But You know the journey better than I do.
When the business failed and I felt like a failure, You reminded me of the promise I had made to write and share what I was learning from Your Word.
There were times I doubted.
There were times I wondered how I would sustain myself.
There were times I wanted to stop.
But You kept drawing me back.
So today, Lord, I say again:
Here I am. Send me.
Whatever You have entrusted to me, help me finish well.
Not for recognition.
Not for applause.
Not even primarily for reward.
But because I love You.
Because I want to glorify You.
Because I want to hear You say one day:
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Lord Jesus,
When You say,
“Follow Me,”
help me simply follow.
One step.
One day.
One assignment at a time.
My eyes are on You.
In Your precious name,
Jesus, Amen.
🌿 BEFORE YOU GO…
Perhaps today Jesus is not asking you to understand your entire future.
Perhaps He is asking only one thing:
“Do you love Me?”
And if your answer is yes, then perhaps His next words are already clear:
“Follow Me.”
You do not have to know everything.
You do not have to compare yourself with anyone.
You do not have to have a perfect past.
You simply need to trust the One who already knows the road ahead.
Peter’s story reminds us that Jesus can take a broken past and transform it into a faithful future.
So don’t give up.
Don’t look sideways.
Don’t let yesterday define you.
Fix your eyes on Jesus—and follow Him.
💬 YOUR STORY MATTERS
Have you ever experienced a season when you thought you had failed, only to discover later that God was redirecting or preparing you for something else?
Or are you currently struggling with comparison, waiting, or uncertainty about God’s assignment for your life?
Share your story in the comments. Your testimony may be exactly what someone else needs to read today.
📖 KEEP WALKING WITH US
If this devotional encouraged you, I invite you to continue exploring Immanuel and Me.
🌿 Bible Reflections — Discover simple, practical reflections from God’s Word.
📖 Gospel of John — Continue the journey of encountering Jesus through the Gospel of John.
🌱 Proverbs — Grow in practical wisdom for everyday life.
And if you don’t want to miss the next devotional, subscribe to Immanuel and Me and continue walking with us as we read God’s Word, observe what it says, reflect on what it means, listen for the Holy Spirit’s leading, and discover how we can live it out.
Until the next chapter, keep your eyes on Jesus.
Follow Him. Trust Him. Finish well.
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