Have you ever messed up so badly that you were sure God was done with you? Maybe you made choices you regret, walked through consequences that still sting, or sat in a season so empty it felt like nothing good could come from it. If you've ever wondered whether God can still use you after failure, the answer is sitting on a shoreline in John 21, cooking breakfast.

What Jesus Asked Peter (and Didn't Ask)

After Peter's infamous denial of Jesus, three times before the rooster crowed, we might expect the resurrected Christ to show up with a performance review. A theology quiz. A list of conditions for reinstatement. But that is not what happened.

In John 21:15-17, after breakfast on the beach, Jesus turned to Peter and asked one question: "Simon, son of John, do you love me?"

Not "Do you have your theology straight?" Not "Have you repented enough?" Not "Do you understand how serious your failure was?" Just: "Do you love Me?"

Now, theology matters. What we believe about God is important. But you can have the right theology and not love Jesus. If we love Jesus, though, we will believe the truth found in His Word. Repentance matters, too, but Jesus did not lead with it. He knew that if Peter loved Him, repentance would follow naturally. A heart that loves Jesus grieves when it sins, because it grieves the heart of the One it loves.

And Jesus did not ask Peter about his position. Peter was a founding member of the twelve disciples, but Jesus bypassed all of that. Whether you are a pastor, a small group leader, a volunteer, or simply someone who attends church, your position does not matter. What matters is: do you love Jesus?

Do You Love Me?

Imagine for a moment that you are the only person in the room. No one else is around. Just you, sitting right where you are, and Jesus standing in front of you. He looks at you, not with condemnation, but with love. And He calls you by name and asks, "Do you love Me?"

Your first instinct might be to say, "I believe in You." And Jesus would respond, "I'm not asking if you believe. Do you love Me?"

You might try again: "Well, I give money to the church. I serve in a ministry." And He would gently stop you: "I'm not asking about what you give or where you volunteer. I'm asking, do you love me?"

Because all those other things, the giving, the serving, the volunteering, they flow out of love for Jesus. They are the fruit, not the root.

Why Did Jesus Ask Three Times?

Jesus asked Peter this same question three times. Some scholars point out that Peter denied Jesus three times, and this triple restoration mirrors that triple denial. Others note that Jesus used the Greek word agape (unconditional, godly love) the first two times, and then switched to phileo (brotherly love) the third time.

Whatever the reason, the repetition hurt Peter. John 21:17 says, "Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, 'Do you love me?'" Each time, Peter responded, "Lord, You know all things. You know that I love You."

And each time, Jesus gave Peter a commission: "Feed My lambs. Take care of My sheep. Feed My sheep."

Can God Still Use Me After I've Failed?

Here is what makes this moment so remarkable. Peter was beginning to realize something profound: Jesus still loves me. He still wants me. And He wants to use my messed-up life to build God's kingdom.

We would have understood if Jesus had said, "Peter, I love you, but you know I can't use you in ministry again. Your failure was too big. You understand, right?" If Jesus had said that, Peter would have accepted it. The other disciples would have nodded along.

But instead, Jesus said something breathtaking: "Peter, I am going to entrust you with the most important thing in the world to Me, and that is My sheep." Not only was Peter still a fisher of men, Jesus was promoting him to shepherd. He was commissioning Peter into deeper service, not just to catch people, but to feed them, teach them, and help them follow Christ.

That is what Peter wanted more than anything: to know it was not too late, and that Jesus still wanted to use him to build His kingdom. But that would only happen when Peter was ready to admit he did not have what it takes on his own, and that Jesus did.

When God Uses What You Lack

I have told this story before, but when I was a little kid, I was extremely shy. If somebody came up to me at church and said something to me, I would hide behind my mom. As I got older, it did not get much better. When I got to college, I had to take a public speaking class to graduate, and it terrified me. I hated that class.

So how can I stand in front of hundreds of people talking about God's message and how it relates to your life and mine? How does that happen?

I can tell you: it is not me. Only God can do that. Because Clint does not have what it takes to do this, but Jesus does.

That is what Peter had to learn. That is what I had to learn. And that is what you have to learn. We need to know that we do not have what it takes to be used by God on our own, but Jesus does.

Your Failures Don't Disqualify You

Maybe you have made some terrible choices in the past, and you are living out the consequences right now. Those consequences are real. There is no magic eraser to make them disappear. But God's grace is more powerful than the consequences of our choices.

Jesus says to you: "I know you messed up. Yes, there are consequences. But I want to walk with you through them and bring you out better on the other side. And more importantly, I want to use you on the other side, because those consequences do not dictate your life."

The reason we are not out of the game is this: the thing we need most in life is not perfection. It is to be intensely in love with Jesus. If we love Him, we will embrace His mission to build His church and His kingdom. The truth of John 21 is that Jesus wants to use your mess. And if that is true, then the question becomes: where can He use you?

Where Can Jesus Use You?

Your faith was given to you by God, not just for your benefit, but for the benefit of those around you. If you truly love Jesus, He has given you the power to live out the resurrected life. So where does that play out?

Where do you live? Your neighborhood, your community. That is where Jesus wants to use you. Maybe it is as simple as helping a neighbor or sharing the difference Jesus has made in your life. That is building God's kingdom.

Where do you work? Maybe a coworker is going through a hard time. Maybe you walk up and say, "Can I pray with you about that?" That is building God's kingdom.

Where do you play? Your spare time, your hobbies, your social circles. Being generous with your time and finances toward someone in need. That is building God's kingdom.

If you love Jesus, then His mission to build His church has to become your mission.

Failure Is Not Final

That struggle you carry, that ache or emptiness you feel, those poor choices you have made: they do not disqualify you from ministry. If anything, they make you more qualified, because it means you are human. Our world cannot relate to people who pretend to be perfect and pretend to have it all together. What people can relate to is someone who struggles but gets up and keeps going, someone who walks through hardship yet maintains faith in God and His goodness.

God wants to use you, your life, your successes, and your failures, to build His kingdom. But you have to rely on Him, because you do not have what it takes. But Jesus does.

The Bible promises that God's mercies are new every morning. That means Jesus is serving breakfast again and again and again to people just like you and me who do not deserve it. It does not matter how long your night of fishing was. It does not matter how empty and fruitless it felt. Jesus is waiting to meet you in the morning, with mercy, with grace, and with a new direction for you to go in.