Verse of the Day 3/11
John 21:5-6 Jesus said to them, "Children, do you have any fish?" They answered him, "No."6 He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. English Standard Version (ESV)
Over the passed couple of years as I've read through the New Testament I've tried to pay close attention to the questions Jesus asked the disciples and us, many of which apply to us today, questions such as "do you believe this?"; "are you going to leave me too?"; and especially "do you love me?"; and "do you love me more than these?". Today's question is one that is easily passed over "do you have any fish?". Another way of looking at it is, are you showing anything from your labor, are you seeing results or if you will, fruit?
In a devotional by Louie Giglio I read his notes on this question and it really hit home, he writes, "Jesus called out to them, "Do you have any fish?" That phrase as it's translated unfortunately misses the impact of what Jesus was saying. The phrase is actually a negative. It's a hypothetical question. The emphasis is placed on what isn't there. A modern equivalent might be, "How's that working for you?" Jesus already knew they hadn't caught any fish — that returning to their old ways was fruitless."
Have you ever asked that of someone, perhaps a child when they decided to go off on their own and against what they've been taught? How's that working for you? Perhaps you've had it asked of you or you've asked it of yourself after going down a different path than God would have wanted. Sometimes, there is no going back. Sometimes, the opportunity is still out there or a similar one will come around again. Will you be willing to take God's route, and perhaps cast the net on the other side of that decision?
Read through the passage below. Think of situations in your life where you may have been discouraged after making a wrong decision. May it encourage and challenge you to be prepared to cast the net on the other side at the next opportunity.
-- In Christ, Mike Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. NIV
John 21:1-9 The Message (MSG)
Fishing
21 1-3 After this, Jesus appeared again to the disciples, this time at the Tiberias Sea (the Sea of Galilee). This is how he did it: Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed "Twin"), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the brothers Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. Simon Peter announced, "I'm going fishing."
3-4 The rest of them replied, "We're going with you." They went out and got in the boat. They caught nothing that night. When the sun came up, Jesus was standing on the beach, but they didn't recognize him.
5 Jesus spoke to them: "Good morning! Did you catch anything for breakfast?"
They answered, "No."
6 He said, "Throw the net off the right side of the boat and see what happens."
They did what he said. All of a sudden there were so many fish in it, they weren't strong enough to pull it in.
7-9 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, "It's the Master!"
When Simon Peter realized that it was the Master, he threw on some clothes, for he was stripped for work, and dove into the sea. The other disciples came in by boat for they weren't far from land, a hundred yards or so, pulling along the net full of fish. When they got out of the boat, they saw a fire laid, with fish and bread cooking on it.
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