This week’s suggested reading: John 21
This week’s question(s) to ponder: Ask God to remind you of a time that a “no” prepared you for a miraculous “yes.” Praise him for that gift. Also, how has God gifted you to spread his love to others? What’s preventing you from walking in that calling today?
Sometimes a "no" is preparing us for a miraculous "yes."
The book of John closes with Jesus revealing himself to seven of his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias.
At the beginning of chapter 21, we read that Peter told some of the other disciples that he wanted to go fishing. They decided to go with him. But after fishing all night long, they had caught nothing. (See John 21:1-3)
As the sun was rising, Jesus stood on the shore and called out to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” Not knowing it was Jesus, they answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” They did and they caught so many fish they weren’t able to haul them in. (John 21:4-6)
Pause here. Because if I’m being totally honest with myself, I would have definitely battled internal irritation had I been up all night long fishing without a single fish to show. Then “some guy” at the break of light, standing on the shore, tells me to throw the net to the other side, as if I hadn’t tried that. I promise you, irritation would have tempted my soul. That’s a part of my flesh I really don’t like.
When things don’t go as we plan, it’s easy to get irritated. We as humans tend to think we have it all figured out. So when our agenda gets skewed, it’s natural to feel frustration. But what if, in those unexpected moments, we remember that God is still God. What if in those moments when life doesn’t go as planned, we remember the faithfulness, love, grace, and presence of our God. What if.
The text doesn’t give any indication that the men were irritated. All we read is that they complied with Jesus’ words. And the result was a net full of fish they couldn’t even haul in.
When God allows a “no” to our plans, we get a choice. We can wallow in the disappointment. Or we can steer our hearts back to places of faith. Sometimes the “no” may be to something less significant, like a night of fishing. And sometimes the “no” may be to to something deeply meaningful, like a healing in our body, or in the body of someone we love. But either way, we have a God who’s worthy of our trust, even when he allows a “no” to our plans.
One other sidenote about this scene. The text says that Jesus already had fish and bread cooking over a fire when the disciples came to shore. (See John 21:9) Jesus didn’t need the fish from their labor. He could make fish and bread appear out of nothing if he so desired. They needed the fish. Jesus blessed them with an abundance out of his grace and love, not out of some divine need he had. Likewise, Jesus doesn’t need things from us as if he’s lacking. By faith, we get to experience the blessing of him and his ways because of his great love and grace upon us. And then we get to bless others with the abundance of his grace, all while pointing back to him, the miracle-maker.
God's amazing grace is bigger than our egregious failures.
After the miraculous net of fish, the disciples realized it was Jesus on the shore. So Simon Peter, with all his fervor, threw himself into the sea to swim to meet him while the others sailed to shore in the boat. After they ate breakfast together, Jesus and Peter had an interesting, and powerful, interaction.
Remember, this appearance of Jesus is on the heels of Peter’s 3-fold denial of Jesus in John 18. If I were to guess, Peter carried with him a sting of regret for denying Jesus, even if he had already moved through a time of personal repentance. And Jesus entered into that tender regret with words of grace, calling Peter back to the place of ministering God’s love to others.
As I read this text, I remembered a time years ago when Jesus met me in my own regrets with his gracious call to get up out of a pit I dug for myself and keep moving forward. Without going into much detail, a series of personal events left me in a very vulnerable emotional state. And in that vulnerable state, I allowed myself to compromise. Yes, I wrestled with some choices I was making. I tried to defend them or excuse them because of what had been done to me. I tried to frame them just right to get approval from those closest to me. But Jesus, in his absolute mercy, both protected me from myself and confronted me with truth. When I finally “woke up” to the destructive path I was on, I crumbled in shame and regret.
For a period of time I thought I could never write again. I could never teach again. I could never stand in front of people and point to Jesus, when I knew how quickly I could ignore his voice. I measured my worthiness by my own actions. And God met me there.
Through prayer, through repentance, through words of encouragement from honest friends, through his Word, Jesus picked me back up. He reminded me of his great grace – a grace that’s wider and deeper than our biggest failures. He reminded me that the gift he placed in me to teach doesn’t come from me. It wasn’t earned. It was his. It flowed from his love and grace. It was an overflow of his Spirit in me. And it was time to stand back up and feed his sheep through this gift he placed in me.
We all have gifts that flow from his Spirit. If we’ve come by faith to him, he gifts each of us in unique and beautiful ways, equipping us to go and spread his love to others. Some of us are gifted to teach. Some are gifted with wisdom. Some are gifted with prophecy, healing, or knowledge. These gifts aren’t earned on good behavior. They’re from him. They’re an overflow of God’s Spirit working in and through us. And the crazy thing is, when we fail to walk in the gifts he gives, he graces us with the path back to him marked with repentance and humility.
No matter where you find yourself today – fully walking in the gifts he’s given or buried under the weight of regret – it’s vital to remember: it’s all about Jesus. If we’re walking boldly in our gifts, we keep on, while remembering that it’s only by his grace and not by our works. We don’t earn the calling he gives. We’re called to humbly walk it out. And if on the other hand we’ve stopped walking in the gifts he’s given, due to regret or shame or distraction or a plethora of other reasons, today’s a new day full of new mercies. It’s time to take his hand, get back up, and “feed his sheep.”
We have a God whose grace is greater than even our most egregious failures. Thank you, Lord.
Our unfolding story will be different from our neighbor's. We must stop comparing.
Speaking of gifts and callings, the chapter ends with Peter asking Jesus about John’s future and calling. Jesus replied with, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”
We as humans continually and constantly compare ourselves to others. It happens in literally every arena of life. From looks to finances to occupations to popularity to parenting to church ministry, we scan the landscape around us searching for validation in literally every single arena of life. Why? Because our fragile egos too quickly equate success by how we compare to others, rather than simply following Jesus.
Your story will be different from mine. My story will be different from yours. Our gifts are different. Our journeys are different. Our families are different. Our areas of influence are different. And that’s a beautiful thing!
God didn’t create a bunch of robots, all looking the same and acting the same and doing the same things. He created a beautiful tapestry of humans with different skin colors, different cultures, different experiences, different paths, and different gifts. And as this book of John closes, Jesus tells us to keep our eyes on him. Keep following him. Stop looking at the person beside us. Stop comparing our journey to our neighbor’s. Instead, he says, “Follow me.”
As we walk with him through our individual journeys, there will continue to be trouble in this world. Until Jesus comes again, Satan is the prince of this earth. And Satan is a liar, a hater, and a destroyer. But Jesus wins. He already won. He already overcame the final enemy, death. And now he tarries in grace, so more can hear of his love and forgiveness.
As he tarries his return, we as his followers have time to use our individual gifts to spread his love on the earth. Yes, trouble will come. Trials will come. But we don’t have to be afraid. By grace through faith, Jesus saves us. God’s Spirit indwells us. The Father forgives us. Keep on, friend. Eyes on Jesus. Feet in step with his. Until he comes again.
Disclaimer: Words in Red is a devotional blog series created for personal reflection and spiritual encouragement. All writing is original and created solely by the author, Lara Howard—AI was not used in the development of this content. All content in this series is copyrighted and may not be reproduced, distributed, or used without written permission. © Think True Things
