The Word of God for wisdom:
Proverbs 16:16-17 (NLT)
16 How much better to get wisdom than gold, and good judgment than silver!
17 The path of the virtuous leads away from evil; whoever follows that path is safe.
The Word of God for inspiration:
Psalm 120:1 (NLT)
1 I took my troubles to the LORD; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.
The Word of God for encouragement:
John 21:1-8 (HCSB)
1 After this, Jesus revealed Himself again to His disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed Himself in this way:
2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called "Twin"), Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, Zebedee's sons, and two others of His disciples were together.
3 "I'm going fishing," Simon Peter said to them. "We're coming with you," they told him. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
4 When daybreak came, Jesus stood on the shore. However, the disciples did not know it was Jesus.
5 "Men," Jesus called to them, "you don't have any fish, do you?" "No," they answered.
6 "Cast the net on the right side of the boat," He told them, "and you'll find some." So they did, and they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish.
7 Therefore the disciple, the one Jesus loved, said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tied his outer garment around him (for he was stripped) and plunged into the sea.
8 But since they were not far from land (about 100 yards away), the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish.
My observation:
The event that John describes in our focal passage today occurred between the resurrection and the ascension of Jesus. The disciples were in a waiting period; that time when they were not sure of what their future would be like. They had one appointment on their calendar, but the rest was a mystery.
Matthew 28:10 (HCSB)
10 Then Jesus told them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see Me there."
It is during this waiting period that we experience the severest testing of our flesh. However, if we keep our focus upon Jesus, our faith can grow deeper during this time.
Notice what Peter proposed, and how the others were willing to follow him.
John 21:3 (HCSB)
3 "I'm going fishing," Simon Peter said to them. "We're coming with you," they told him. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Peter, and the other disciples had left fishing to follow Jesus, but during this period of testing of the flesh they went back to their old ways. They were to soon realize that without Jesus they could not be successful no matter how hard and how long they worked in the flesh.
John 15:5 (HCSB)
5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.
Then something happened that brought about a change in their condition; Jesus showed up. When Jesus shows up things change in our condition; the circumstances remain the same, but Jesus is Lord over our circumstances.
John 21:5-6 (HCSB)
5 "Men," Jesus called to them, "you don't have any fish, do you?" "No," they answered.
6 "Cast the net on the right side of the boat," He told them, "and you'll find some." So they did, and they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish.
My prayer:
Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, what a blessing it is to know that in our troubles and in our failures that we are never alone.
Father God, I thank you that help for the believer is only a prayer away. If God is truly our Father, we can ask him to help us, and he is able and willing to help his children. Father, I thank you for being a God who hears and answers my prayers. Amen and Amen.
Psalm 120:1 (HCSB)
1 In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me.
--
John 20:30-31 (ESV)
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment