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He often told his wife, “I love you.” One day she said, “Well, honey, if you love me, wash the windows.” That is what Jesus told Peter one day. At Jesus’ trial, Peter had publicly denied three times that he knew the Lord. After the third denial, Peter wept and repented. Jesus now confronts Peter publicly after the resurrection. He reaffirms His faith in Peter publicly. John 21 says that on the lakeshore after breakfast, Jesus asks Peter three times if his love for Jesus is genuine. Each time Peter replies that it is; and each time Jesus says to him, in effect, “If you love me, serve me,—feed my lambs, feed my sheep.” The Bible is clear that we do not earn salvation by our deeds. Yet the Bible is also clear that after we accept God’s Son by faith we should show our love by serving him. Jesus told Peter he would die as a martyr. Peter then wanted to know what will happen to his buddy, John. Jesus tells him that God has His own unique purpose for John; rather than being occupied with John’s destiny, Peter should keep following Jesus. Like Peter and John, God has unique roles for each of us. We should not let our past deter us. Rather, like Peter, we can repent of our failures, seek to love the Lord deeply, and use our unique abilities to serve Him with all our hearts. In this way, we can know our work for him is not wasted.
