Devotional: “…and Peter” — Restoration in the Risen Christ Scripture: “But go, tell His disciples — and Peter — that He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.” (Mark 16:7) Early that morning, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and encountered the risen Jesus Christ. The angel’s words were striking: “Go tell the disciples… and Peter.” Why mention Peter? He had denied Jesus three times. The weight of shame must have crushed him. Yet the risen Lord, full of grace and compassion, called him by name. Two words — “…and Peter” — carry the heart of God: He sees our failures, knows our regrets, yet chooses restoration over judgment. Mary, a woman once oppressed and judged, was entrusted with this message. A restored life delivering a message of restoration — that is the kingdom of God. Later, by the Sea of Galilee, Peter reacted as only a restored heart can. After saying, “I am going fishing,” he returned to what felt safe, what felt familiar. But Jesus was already there, preparing a charcoal fire — the same kind where Peter had denied Him. Not to shame him, but to heal him. By the fire, Jesus asked three times, “Do you love Me?” — one for each denial — and each time He said, “Feed My sheep.” Peter ran into the water to reach Jesus, leaving his doubts and fear behind. His heart had been freed from shame; grace had turned hesitation into boldness. Then, following Jesus’ instruction, they cast the net again and caught 153 fish — a miraculous overflow symbolizing fullness, spiritual perfection, and the vastness of God’s mission. Every fish counted, every life precious, just as Peter’s restored heart would bring countless souls into God’s kingdom. ✨ Reflection: Jesus does not let failure define us. He redeems the places we feel broken. He transforms shame into purpose, denial into boldness, empty nets into abundance. The same Jesus who called Peter back by name is still calling us today. The same grace that restored a fisherman can restore your heart. Your past does not disqualify you; it can be the very stage for your greatest ministry. 💛 Takeaway: If Jesus remembered Peter after denial, He remembers you after failure. If He prepared a fire, a breakfast, and a miraculous catch for Peter, He is preparing something for you too. “…and Peter.” Two words of love, restoration, and purpose — for every heart willing to return.

‘‘Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.’’ John 15:16 KJV It doesn’t take many people to bring about change. In fact, too many people can get in the way. Gideon took 32,000 to fight, but God needed only 300. He doesn’t care how many can be counted – He cares only about how many can be counted on. The truth is that your life could be messed up because too many people are telling you what to do. Hang up the phone. Shut the door. Turn off the TV. Get down before God and ask Him to speak to you. He will give you the word you need (see Isaiah 50:4). God doesn’t need a crowd; He just needs one who will listen and obey. If He wants to start a nation, He’ll give hope and vision to an Abraham. If He wants to bring down an Egyptian Pharaoh, He’ll reach into the bulrushes and pull out a Moses. When He wants a lineage for His Son, He’ll go to the ‘red light district’ and find a Rahab. He’s just looking for a willing heart. Listen again: ‘Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.’ Ethel Waters, who sang with the Billy Graham crusades, loved to say, ‘God don’t sponsor no flops.’ Her grammar was slightly off, but her theology was ‘right on’. Don’t spend your life trying to be ordinary. Don’t pour your life into the mould of someone else’s expectations. God has an agenda for you. The reason He’s brought you through so much is that He has a higher plan and purpose for your life. Get into His presence today and ask Him about it.

‘‘All these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you.’’ Deuteronomy 28:2 NKJV An observant Jew says a minimum of one hundred blessing prayers each day, beginning with the Hebrew formula: Baruch Atah Adonai. Practising Jews bless God when they see or experience something for the first time. They bless God for smells and tastes. And if something is pleasurable, they bless God. If you enjoy something without saying a blessing, according to the Talmud, it’s as if you had stolen it. ‘All these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you.’ Note the words ‘come upon’ and ‘overtake’. You never know how or when His blessings will overtake you. But unlike His goodness and mercy, which ‘follow’ us all the days of our lives (see Psalm 23:6), the blessings of God are tracking you down like a heat-seeking missile. They’re hot on your trail. And one day they’re going to overtake you. Now God doesn’t bless us so we can raise our standard of living; He blesses us so we can raise our standard of giving. The greatest blessing is the ability to bless others. Have you been blessed? That’s where you need to flip the blessing. Where has God shown you favour? That’s where you need to return the favour. There is no greater joy than being on the giving end of a gift. Isn’t that what Jesus said? ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’ (Acts 20:35 NIV). There are hundreds of blessings in Scripture, each with your name on it. If you are in Christ, the blessings belong to you. ‘No matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ’ (2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV). So, count your blessings.

KNOW WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST AND NEVER LET THE DEVIL TELL YOU OTHERWISE - Jeslen Perumall Knowing who we are, is matter of importance by far. God's Infallible Word reminds us clearly, of our God given identity. No matter what our situation, God's Word reminds that we are a new creation. ”Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are loved, chosen and redeemed, by a God who reigns Supreme. Jeremiah 31:3 says, The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness." Remember you and I are one of a kind and always on God's mind. We're were bought with a price and purchased with the precious Blood of Jesus Christ. When we choose to obey, we will be blessed in every way. Deuteronomy 28: 13 "The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom." And we are God's prized possessions with a purpose. 1 Peter 2:9 says, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light." Let us therefore know our Identity in Christ and never allow the devil to whisper lies telling us otherwise. We are who God says we are and we will shine bright like stars. Stay Blessed

Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.’’ James 2:10 NKJV Paul writes, ‘By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God’ (Ephesians 2:8 NKJV). Why did Paul say we are saved through grace alone? Because trying to obtain salvation by keeping the law sets you up for failure. ‘For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.’ You say, ‘That’s an impossible standard!’ You’re right! The law is like an X-ray machine; it can reveal what’s under the surface and identify the problem, but it can’t fix it. The law is also like a mirror. It can tell you that you need to apply make-up, or shave, or comb your hair, but it can’t do these things for you. In other words, the law can show you your problem but can’t solve it. But what the law could not do, Christ did on the cross (see Romans 8:3). When Jesus said, ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30 KJV), all your sins from the cradle to the grave were atoned for. And when you put your trust in Him, you are saved for time and eternity. Some people acknowledge that you are made right with God by grace, through putting your trust in Christ. But, they believe you maintain your salvation by keeping the works of the law. The problem is, even on your best day, you cannot live up to all the demands of a perfect God. The hymnist wrote, ‘Trusting as the moments fly, trusting as the days go by; trusting Him whate’er befall, trusting Jesus, that is all!’

The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.’’ Exodus 18:18 NIV The Bible says: ‘The people…stood around him from morning till evening…Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone”’ (vv. 13, 17-18 NIV). You may have noticed on the back of tractor-trailer rigs a sign that communicates their load limit. Roads have weigh stations to make sure these lorries aren’t carrying too much weight. If a tractor-trailer with a huge engine has load limits, then it makes sense that we do too. Moses had exceeded his load limit. Eating on the run, running from one end of the camp of Israel to the other, scheduling meetings, hitting deadlines, and seeing everyone who asked was too much. On the inside he was dying. He had two options: collapse, or share the load. Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, told him to evaluate what only he could do, and delegate the rest. Anytime you are staring at a job that looks larger than you can handle alone, understand that God is telling you, ‘Don’t try it alone.’ But Jethro didn’t tell Moses to ditch the work and throw it on just anybody. That’s a formula for disaster. To delegate successfully, you have to do these three things: 1) Get the right people. 2) Give them the right task. 3) Trust them to do it right; don’t micromanage them. So, the word for today is – do what only you can do, delegate the rest to others, and trust God for success!

Be content 'May I never forget the good things he does for me.' Psalm 103:2 NLT A newspaper cartoon was drawn of two fields divided by a wire fence. Both were the same size, each with plenty of lush, green grass. Each field had a mule whose head stuck through the wire fence, eating grass from the other's pasture. Although each mule was surrounded by grass, the neighbouring field seemed more desirable - even though it was harder to reach. In the process the mules' heads became caught in the fence, and they panicked and brayed uncontrollably at being unable to free themselves. The cartoonist described the situation with one caption: 'Discontent'. There's a lesson here... When we focus on what we don't have, or what someone else has, we become blinded to the blessings that surround us. David wrote: 'Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things' (Psalm 103:2-5 NLT). Goal setting, achieving great things and desiring more are good things if: (1) You look to the Lord to help you get there: 'The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right' (Psalm 84:11 NLT); and (2) while God is working on it, you enjoy what he's already given you: 'Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For he himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you"' (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV). So, be content!

WHAT IS YOUR FAITH CHALLENGE? “So Elijah said to her, ‘Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. For thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth.'” I Kings 17:13-14 The prophet Elijah was on the run after delivering God’s message of judgment to King Ahab. With a drought gripping the land, God directed Elijah north into enemy territory—hardly a logical destination. Yet Elijah obeyed. There he encountered a poor widow gathering sticks for what she believed would be her final meal. Elijah asked her not only for water, but for the first portion of her last bit of food. It sounds so insensitive, so selfish. But Elijah was acting in obedience to God and inviting this woman into a moment of faith. He promised that if she honored God first, He would provide. And she decided to trust God and obey. Against all reason, she put God first—and He met her needs day after day throughout the drought. The flour never ran out. The oil never failed. God often invites us into similar moments. He asks us to trust Him even when it doesn’t make sense—especially when it doesn’t make sense. Faith moves us out of our comfort zone to trust God. Where are you struggling to put God first? Finances, family, career, control? When we surrender what little we think we have, God proves He is more than enough.

Courage and Wisdom in the Moment There are days when we feel misunderstood, hurt, or ready to react. In those moments, I am reminded of Abigail and David. Abigail faced crisis with courage and wisdom. She didn’t ignore the problem, and she didn’t respond in fear. She stepped in calmly, trusted God, and spoke life into a heated situation. David, though angry, had the humility to listen. He trusted that God could correct him through someone else. How often do we need that? In our marriages. With our children. In ministry. In moments when emotions rise quickly. Trusting God means we pause before reacting. It means we ask for wisdom instead of proving a point. It means we allow Him to defend us instead of fighting in the flesh. Today, may we have Abigail’s courage to step forward wisely — and David’s humility to listen when God speaks. Sometimes the greatest victory is the battle we choose not to fight.

Today I have rolled away the shame of your slavery.’’ Joshua 5:9 NLT God got Israel out of Egypt in one day, but it took forty years to get the shame of Egypt out of Israel. It happened at a place called Gilgal, 381 miles north-east of Egypt. The Israelites thought like slaves and acted like slaves. After all, it’s tough to break the cycle after four hundred years of slavery. Technically, the Israelites were set free at the exodus. But it wasn’t until they reached Gilgal that they finally left the past in the past. ‘Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt.”’ For some of us, it takes years to bring closure to our feelings of condemnation and get the past out of the present. The good news is, God can still roll away the shame of your past. ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 8:1 NKJV). Note the word ‘now’. Full forgiveness is our present-tense reality. Right here. Right now. If you are in Christ, you’re no longer defined by what you’ve done wrong; you’re defined by what Christ has done right on your behalf. You are a new creation, but sometimes it takes time for your new nature to become second nature. Jesus came to put the past in its place – in the past. You need to leave it there. How do you do that? By seeing yourself as God sees you – righteous (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). Instead of seeing yourself as clothed in shame, begin to see yourself as God sees you: clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

Live Open-Handed and Receive Abundance Scripture: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.” — Luke 6:38 There is something beautiful about an open hand. An open hand can give. An open hand can receive. An open hand trusts. But a closed fist? It holds tightly. It protects. It fears loss. Yet when our hands are closed, nothing can be placed inside them. God calls us to live open-handed lives. To live open-handed means we release control. We release fear. We release the need to grip tightly to what we have — whether it is money, relationships, positions, or even old hurts. It means we trust that God is our Source. In nature, abundance flows. Rivers do not hoard water — they move, and because they move, they remain fresh. The Dead Sea holds water but has no outlet — and it becomes lifeless. When we hold tightly to everything out of fear, our hearts can become stagnant. But when we give — love, kindness, forgiveness, encouragement, resources — we step into the rhythm of heaven. Yet here is the deeper truth: Living open-handed also means allowing yourself to receive. Sometimes we are good at giving but uncomfortable receiving. Pride, past wounds, or self-reliance can make us resist being blessed. But humility says, “Lord, I receive what You send.” Abundance is not just financial. It is peace in chaos. Joy in sorrow. Strength in weakness. Provision in drought. Love when you least expect it. Psalm 23 says, “My cup runs over.” Notice — the cup does not run over if it is turned upside down. It must be upright and open. Today, choose to live open-handed: Release what you cannot control. Give what God places in your hand. Receive what He pours into your life. He is not a God of scarcity. He is a God of overflow. 🙏 Prayer Father God, Teach me to live with open hands. Remove fear that makes me hold too tightly to what I have. Help me trust You as my Provider and Source. Where I have been hesitant to give, soften my heart. Where I have struggled to receive, humble me and heal me. Let my life flow with generosity, peace, and abundance. May my cup not only be filled, but run over for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.