John 21:5-6 - Jesus spoke to them: "Good morning! Did you catch anything for
breakfast?" They answered, "No." 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. (MSG)
We recently spent a week on the Gulf coast of Florida, where each night, we were
blessed to watch the sun set over the Gulf of Mexico.
Our morning also found us walking the beach. On this particular morning, I found
myself standing on a pier watching two men in boat. From a distance, they
appeared to be throwing something into the water and then pulling it back out.
As I got closer to them, I could tell that they were throwing a net over the
side of the boat. Again it came out empty.
As curiosity got the better of me, I inquired as to what they were doing. The
one gentleman replied that they were trying to get bait in their net so that
they could use the bait for their day of fishing.
It was then that I found myself sharing with these men the story of the
disciples on the lake and Jesus telling them to throw their nets over the other
side of the boat. I suggested that they try throwing their nets over the other
side. They both kind of looked at me in disbelief, but then proceeded to do so.
No sooner had the man thrown the net in, than he began to pull it out, and it
was full of little fish. He then said, "What do you think?" To me.
I replied, "Try the other side again", which he did. Again it took the two of
them to pull in the net.
After they had placed the bait fish into the container, the one man turned to me
and said, "We have enough bait for the day. We have never caught so many in just
two castings of our nets."
I told them, "When you put your trust in Jesus, He will always provide." They
smiled, and began to pull anchor and leave for their day of fishing.
They never indicated to me whether they were believers or not. I know in my
heart that if they weren't, a seed was planted that day. As I watched them leave
the marina, my prayer for them was that they would have some time during their
day to reflect on the Creator of our world.
How easy it would have been for me to continue walking past them and not to have
inquired as to what they were doing. How many times do we miss opportunities
that the Lord provides for us to share Him with the world?
Acts 22:15 - For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and
heard. (NKJV)
Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank You for being alive in us and prompting us to share
You with the people we meet in life. We are sorry for the times we have missed
these opportunities. We are grateful and blessed by each new day You give us
through the rising and the setting of the sun. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Julie Bowles julieanni@rogers.com
Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Thanks to http://daily.presbycan.ca
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