Board Chaplain Devo: Breakfast on the Beach

The morning was quiet. Mist hovered over the water as a handful of tired fishermen returned after another disappointing night.

Maybe it was the same beach where they first met Jesus years before.

A voice called from the shore: "Friends, have you caught any fish?"

"No."

"Cast your net on the right side of the boat," the hazy figured called.

Moments later, the nets were bursting.
John the Beloved recognized first.

"It’s the Lord."

Peter didn't wait for the boat.

He plunged into the water and hurried to shore, dripping and shivering, standing before the One he’d denied only days earlier.

After Jesus' crucifixion, Peter had returned to the familiar work of fishing. Where else was he supposed to go? His confidence was gone. He’d failed, and publicly. The disciple who once insisted his devotion surpassed everyone else's now felt disqualified from serving at all.

There is a lesson here for us.

We should be careful not to compare our faithfulness with someone else's. Peter's story reminds us that every one of us is capable of stumbling, in fact we will stumble. Confidence in ourselves is a fragile foundation.

But Jesus didn't meet Peter with condemnation, he met him with breakfast.

Before asking Peter a single question, Jesus welcomed him to the fire, shared a meal with him, and restored fellowship. In the culture of the day, sharing a meal wasn't simply about eating together—it was an invitation back into relationship. It communicated honor, belonging, trust, and acceptance. Everything Peter feared he had lost, Jesus began quietly restoring.

Then came the famous conversation.

Three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him.

Each time Peter answered with humility. He could no longer boast of possessing the highest, greatest love. Instead, he simply confessed the love he knew he had.

And each time, Jesus responded the same way:

"Feed My lambs."

"Shepherd My sheep."

"Feed My sheep."

Jesus didn’t dwell on Peter's failure. He entrusted His most precious possession—His people—to the very man who thought he was no longer worthy.

Perhaps that's part of how our love for Christ grows. Not through impressive declarations, but through faithfully caring for the people He places in front of us.

Love is deepened, not really by what we say, but by how we serve.

Peter's restoration reminds us that failure does not have to be the final word. When we stumble, Jesus seeks us out, restores fellowship, and invites us back into His work.

So don't be too quick to disqualify yourself—or someone else—when Jesus is in the business of restoring. It’s often when we think we’re done, that God shows up to redeem, restore, and reinstate us into the Kingdom.

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Photo credit: Riddhiman Bhowmik via Unsplash