John 21:1-6 [1] After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: [2] Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. [3] Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. [4] But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. [5] Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.” [6] And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.
How do we handle the disappointments of life? The disappointments that come from circumstances beyond our control, or the ones that come as a result of personal choices and failures? The disciples had forsaken everything to follow Jesus, only to find themselves in a place where they experienced great pain and disappointment, when the One they had been following, the One they believed was their Messiah, was crucified. Now, in the midst of their confusion over what took place, Peter, the one who denied Jesus, decided to return to his old life, his old ways. Note that this was after Jesus had reappeared to them twice already, after His resurrection. How often have we found ourselves in this place of temptation? The temptation to return to the old ways of life, even after the Lord has shown Himself in our lives over and over. We experience those instances of disappointment and we seem to forget all that we know about who God is and what He has already done for us. We forget how faithful He is in keeping His promises, and we walk back toward our old life, sulking because things didn't turn out the way we expected. As I re-read this account, the one thing that stood out was that Jesus showed His disciples, once again, that life without Him was a life void of real blessings. When they went off on their own, they caught nothing. When they followed Jesus' command, they were blessed. What spiritual blessings do we forfeit when we choose our own way, after being disappionted, or when we walk away after making a sinful choice? The fact of the matter is that we need not put ourselves "out of service". Instead, we need to turn back to Jesus, with repentance and confession, and let Him restore us, just as He did with Peter. We should not allow the disappointments of life to cause us to forget the blessings of walking intimately with Jesus. There is nothing we can do that will separate us from His love, and there's nothing we can do that will go beyond the reach of His grace and forgiveness. Peter went back to fishing those things that escaped him that night, and would not last; but Jesus reminded him that He had called him to fish for those things that had eternal value, and would live forever; the souls of men.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on the Name of Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation (Romans 10:13).
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