“Therefore, repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19
When Jesus was on the bank watching Peter put on his outer garment and dive out of the boat to get to shore, you think Jesus was excited knowing He was about to heal Peter’s heart? I do. As I think of how much Jesus loved Peter, I think of how much joy He must have had knowing what was about to happen over that fire.
Jesus asked them if they had caught anything and they responded no, so Jesus tells them to cast their nets. When the Lord filled the nets, their eyes were opened, and they knew it was Him. If I were Peter, I would have been thinking how I couldn’t even catch fish anymore without Jesus. Totally defeated and broken knowing I had betrayed my Savior. Peter knew that Jesus knew about the denials because Jesus told him it would happen.
One of my favorite scriptures is Romans 8:28 that all things work together for the good of those that love Him. It doesn’t mean that life will be perfect, that there is no pain, or that we will even understand everything that happens. It does mean if we are seeking God that He will carry us through and make us more like Him through our circumstances and even our mistakes.
For Peter, the result was he became a man on fire, filled with the Holy Spirit, and fulfilling the very calling Jesus had originally spoken over him…Peter the rock. Jesus knew all along He needed Peter to build the church. It was because Peter LOVED Jesus that Romans 8:28 was fulfilled in his life. Jesus used the betrayal to sift Peter and prepare him to tell the Jews about repentance. When Peter told them in Acts 3 to repent, return and be refreshed he absolutely knew what that felt like. I wish I could have been around the fire when Peter was ”refreshed” after that last I love you.
If you have wandered, been mad at God, or just been too busy to spend time with Him, don’t put off being restored to your Savior! Repent, return, and be refreshed!! I pray today you feel the overwhelming love of a Father that has a perfect love for you!
Dig Deeper
John 21 | Matthew 16:18 | 1 John 4:19