In John chapter 21, Jesus appears to several of the disciples including Peter. It is the third time the Bible records Jesus appearing to them after the resurrection. This appearance was several weeks after the resurrection and unlike the other appearances, was not near Jerusalem.

In verses 15-19, Jesus asks Peter three separate times, “do you love me.” When Peter says that he does, Jesus says first, “Feed my Lambs,” then “tend my sheep”, then “feed my sheep.”

I have read this text many times, and overlooked a message that seems significant and very clear now.

When Jesus appeared to the disciples this time, they were fishing. Essentially, they had spent the last three years following Jesus, listening and learning and coming to believe he was the Messiah. They saw him crucified, and then saw him alive after being resurrected. After all that, what did Peter do?

He went back to work as a fisherman.

What I think Jesus is telling him in this story, is, “You cannot go back to being a fisherman, you have the message of Salvation. Go and share it with everyone.”

The story also describes how after fishing all night long and catching nothing, Jesus tells them to put the net on the other side of the boat, and they immediately catch many fish; showing that he will provide what they need.

Dear Lord, We can all learn from this story that the important thing in our lives is you. We need to share your love and feed your sheep. You will provide for us when we keep your priorities our priorities. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

One limiting belief many of us have as Christians is that because we are not living a flawless Christian life, we cannot witness and evangelize. We think we have to have all the answers, and follow all the rules before we can be acceptable witnesses to lead others to Christ.

This is obviously not the case, and Paul makes it clear in Philippians 3:12-14 “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

It is not our “goodness” that saves people, but it is our witness that can open the door for the Holy Spirit to come to them. Our authentic enthusiasm for Chist is a better tool for evangelism than how good we are.

Dear Lord, help us always remember that we do not bring people to believe, we only bring them to the opportunity, and You save them. Our best witness is our joyful confidence in your guidance and protection, and our hope for eternal Salvation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I think we all encounter situations where people we know in our churches, workplaces, or family complain and expect the worst, using one small negative experience as an excuse to expect everything that follows to be terrible. I call it the Chicken Little mentality, after the children’s story about the chicken who was convinced that the sky was falling because one acorn fell on his head.

The solution is to put our focus and faith on God.

This situation occurs in the book of Exodus, while the Jews are leaving Egypt, and Pharaoh’s armies are chasing them. Exodus 14:11-14 says, “And they turned against Moses, whining, “Have you brought us out here to die in the desert because there were not enough graves for us in Egypt? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Isn’t this what we told you, while we were slaves, to leave us alone? We said it would be better to be slaves to the Egyptians than dead in the wilderness.” But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand where you are and watch, and you will see the wonderful way the Lord will rescue you today. The Egyptians you are looking at—you will never see them again. The Lord will fight for you, and you won’t need to lift a finger!”

The subsequent verses tell the story of the parting of the Red Sea and destruction of Egypt’s armies.

One leader, with his faith in God, overcame their Chicken Little mentality.

Dear Lord, help us be the faithful leaders in our churches, families, and workplaces that overcome the fears and negativity over others by putting our trust in you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

We have all seen examples of high profile “Christians” who by their publicly bad behavior give those who oppose Christianity anecdotes to demonstrate hypocrisy and paint all Christians with that brush. For every one of those bad examples, there are thousands of Christians who do amazing things that bring great glory to God, through their churches, charitable organizations, missions, and hundreds of other places and means.

Peter writes in 1 Peter 2:15, “It is God’s will that your good lives should silence those who foolishly condemn the Gospel without knowing what it can do for them, having never experienced it’s power.”

We need to be those positive, helpful, and hopeful people that show how being saved by Christ makes us different and “silences” those who would criticize Christians in general.

Dear Lord, what amazing things you have done for us through your love. Help us reflect that love and confidence in you to those around us, So that your Spirit might also work on them. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Many people we encounter daily are rather negative. It is so easy to think the negative things are the things to discuss; bad weather, traffic, our physical ailments, car trouble, etc. Not to minimize people’s problems, but even with our problems, we all have much to be happy and grateful for. We should try to be the person that turns the conversation to the positive things.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Paul writes to the believers there, “Always be joyful, Always keep praying, No matter what happens, be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” TLB I am sure the folks Paul was writing to had problems like we do. Arguably, their problems were more dire than we can imagine in the developed world of 2021.

Dear Lord, Help us remember Paul’s words, and be Joyful and Thankful. Joyful because we are saved and we know you will support us through our problems, and Thankful for this amazing gift. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.