He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
When you develop a ministry mindset it radically changes how you approach every part of your life, even your death!
Looking at these verses, did you notice the part in parentheses? Those are not my words—they are part of the Bible text. The Apostle John puts those words in to help us understand what Jesus was saying to Peter. Jesus was telling Peter how he would die. But look at how John describes it: “This Jesus said to show by what kind of death Peter was to glorify God.” Jesus didn’t tell Peter to sit down and prepare himself for some shocking news. No, Peter saw his coming death as yet another way to glorify God to the people around him!
It took Jesus’ disciples more than three years to learn to look at life this way, and it will take time for you too. But do you hear God’s challenge to your heart today—to look at every encounter with every person in every circumstance in your life (even the ones facing you today) as an opportunity to represent God to people, a moment of sentness, a ministry opportunity, a God moment, a divine appointment, and yourself as an ambassador for Christ to both the believers and secular people in your life.
Take a moment and write down the people and circumstances you know you will encounter today, then pray through them and ask God to help you glorify him in those moments of sentness.
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