What Now? 4

John 21:4-6

My father loved to fish. He had a tackle box filled with lures and weights and spools of line and all other manner of fishing gear. He had a collection of rods and reels to choose from, and when I was young he owned his own outboard motor. To my recollection he never caught many fish. But that was okay; he just enjoyed fishing. It relaxed him.

Many of the disciples of Jesus were fishermen when he called them into ministry. But to them, unsuccessful fishing was not okay. It was bad business.

After the crucifixion and resurrection Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James, John, and two other disciples were all out fishing one night. Who is on the shore? What did he ask? What was his instruction? What was the result?

I am constantly amazed at these disciples. They have been with Jesus in his ministry. They saw the crucifixion and the resurrection. And after all these profound experiences they go out fishing. It seems they have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing.

But Jesus comes along and gives them some instruction. They have had a bad night of fishing – they caught nothing. But Jesus has them drop their net on the right side of the boat, and that results in a huge catch of fish.

The story has many lessons. It serves as a reminder that these disciples were called from a life of fishing for fish to a life of fishing for men. Jesus wanted them to preach and teach and gather believers into the kingdom of God.

It also shows that we need direction from our Lord so that we might be successful in our ministry. Jesus was able to direct these disciples and give them success. He told them to put their net on the right side – the correct side.

We can be like the disciples. We get excited about our faith from November to May, but then when the enthusiasm of Easter and Mother’s Day is over we often go off fishing. We forget that we are called into ministry.

We must remember what we have been called to do. And as we focus on our ministry we must ask the Lord for direction, so we know where to cast our religious nets to bring believers into the kingdom.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you keep your net on the right side of your boat?

Celebrate 4

John 21:4-6

One time when fishing with my dad and a cousin on the banks of the Ohio River a small, commercial fishing boat pulled up to unload their catch. The first was so big one of the men needed both hands and all of his strength to heft it out of the holding tank. Others followed, huge fish, scooped out with a big net that was full to almost bursting with the weight of them. When they were done they came over with half a dozen big fish and tossed them to us. They said they wanted us to have them because our reaction to what they were doing had entertained them.

In John 21 we are given an account of Jesus with his disciples. What are the disciples doing? What does Jesus suggest? What is the result?

Jesus gathered his first disciples by telling them he would make them fishers of men. He meant that they would be going out into the world and “catching” people who needed to have a connection to God, who needed to have hope and joy brought into their lives through the presence of God.

This encounter in Luke 21 is a reminder that with the direction from Jesus his followers could find a large number of people who could be brought in to the kingdom of God. And when those who are lost are brought in they can become part of the wonderful banquet of God’s goodness.

As we prepare for Thanksgiving, as we gather to celebrate, we should remember not only to celebrate the abundance of blessings we have, but also that we should be willing to share our abundance. And that abundance that we share is more than just material possessions. We are blessed with an abundance of love, mercy and peace from God. This is also what we should share with others.

And not only should we see that we need to share our abundance with others, we should see that there is an abundance of needy souls out in the world that should be brought in to the feast that God offers. As we recognize the feast of love and grace God gives us, let us also recognize that there are so many others who deserve to have that same fulfilling relationship with Jesus. We can be the people who make the banquet full and complete when we invite the stranger to be part of our worship and part of our own faith journey.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Is there someone who needs you to invite them to God’s feast?