Fish for Breakfast

“When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.”

— John 21:9 NIV

The hopes of Jesus’ disciples were dead as his body that lay in the grave. Then he rose from the dead. In the days following, Jesus appeared not once, not twice, but six times to one or more of his followers. He shared peace, hope, faith, and knowledge as he did.

Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James, John, and two other disciples traveled from Jerusalem to Galilee as Jesus commanded. John 21:1-14 recounts the story.

Peter—ever ready to do something—decides to go fishing. The others join him. In the job he left and the boat he left three years earlier to follow Jesus. Yet, now, despite the hope of post-resurrection appearances there are questions.

Without Jesus here, how will my life go?

I followed him. I believed in him. Jesus was everything to me. And, now, he’s gone. How do I continue to follow him when he’s not here to follow? How will he provide for me now? To lead me? Or, am I on my own? Again. To live life by my terms? Once more. To provide for myself again as a fisherman? So. Yes. I’ll go fishing.

All night they fished and caught nothing. As dawn breaks they’re heading in when a not yet identified as Jesus person on the shore says of their lack of fish, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” They do. Too many to haul in.

John says “It is the Lord!”

Peter jumps in and swims a hundred yards to Jesus.

The others struggle ashore dragging the net full of 153 large fish.

And there, indeed, on the shore is Jesus. Roasting them fish for breakfast and some bread.

Why fish for breakfast? What is Jesus teaching? What were they to learn? What are we to learn?

When we obey God—going where He says and doing what He commands—we will know His presence and His provision.

See Him or not. God is with us.

Except Him or not. God provide for us.

Perceive Him or not. God loves us.

Follow Jesus.

Listening

“But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.”

— Psalm 81:11-12, ESV

"Agh! How could I do it again? That ugly, old habit. That slip of the tongue. That selfish impatience. That voice raised in anger. Why do I do that?"

Ever wish your life was like a recording artist in the studio? You'd have a producer listening closely, ready to instruct you how to sound better. And, of course, give you a chance for another take. Life would be easier if we got multiple takes.

"Sorry, the real me came out right there. I didn't want you to hear that. I'm not that mean. At least I don't think so. Or want you to think so. Take 2!" And you play it all over again with the nicer, edited you.

It's our preferences. Our expectations. Our pride. Our fear. Our selfishness. Even, let's be honest, our sinfulness that leads us into those ugly moments we wish we could edit out.

Psalm 81 tells us one reason we get ourselves in such trouble. When we are taken aback by the stubbornness of our hearts—that ugly, unbending self-will. When we taste the bile of our own foolish—those untrusting thoughts of God or the intentions of others. When we have those moments, Psalm 81 pins our shortcomings not on our circumstances, or the other guy, or Satan, but on us.

It is when we do not listen to God. It is when we are proud before God. When we do our own thing. When we disobey Him. This is when we get ourselves into trouble.

If only we would listen to Him. The Sovereign God of all who loves each of us as if there was only one of us. In Psalm 81, God recalls the good He has done for His people, He announces the blessings He will give even then to His people, if... If they will only listen and obey.

Maybe we need to turn off the distractions—social media, TV, the radio, smart phones. We need to open God's Word, humble ourselves, confess our sins, ask His forgiveness, and seek His will.

Imagine yourself putting on the headphones. Nothing but you and God. Hear Him. Obey Him.

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The Father's Direction

A player piano sits in the lobby of a local hospital. A fine, Yamaha, baby grand. With a blinking, electronic box affixed under the high notes.  It makes a nice space feel classy.  More importantly it fills it with music.

Sometimes hymns. Sometimes classical. Sometimes jazz.  Sometimes easy listening.

It's nice.  But.

It is a player piano.  With a blinky box.

It is not the same as heart & soul, fingers & feet.

There I sat.  Near the piano.  Enjoying its sound. Lamenting it's lack of soul.  When two men arrived.

One in his sixties.  Distinguished.  Business-like, even in casual dress.

One in his thirties.  Challenged.  Struggling to walk, body wracked in debilitating disease.

Father & son.

We exchanged smiles & made small talk while they waited.  They waited until a third man came.  Quickly. With a key.  To turn off the blinky box.  In order that the young man might sit & play.

Real life.  Heart & soul, fingers & feet.  Tumbled hard onto the bench.

And he waited.  The son at the keys waited.  For his father's direction.  The name of a song.

Softly.  Almost unheard.  The father would whisper.

Slowly.  Processing direction.  The son would respond.

More than a dozen songs as I observed.

Son waiting.  Hands in lap.  Head titled slightly back & right.  Sitting in silence.  The father would whisper. The son would cock his head forward.  Place his hands over the keys.  Pause.  A few breathes.  Then play.

Sometimes hymns. Sometimes classical. Sometimes jazz.  Sometimes easy listening.

Heart & soul, fingers & feet.  The young man who struggled walking, soared playing.

So beautiful his music.

So much more beautiful his response to the direction of his loving father.

Can you hear God our Father's voice?  How do you respond to His direction?

Play your part.  Play with heart & soul, fingers & feet.  Play as our Father directs.  Play with all you have got.

"What To" Truths for Parents

You love a good “how to” article, don’t you Mom and Dad?  You really want to know how to do this Christian parenting thing.  In your honest moments, like all of us, you would confess feelings of inadequacy, fears, worries, and even failures.  If parenting as a Christ follower was easy, then we would not need Christ.  Jesus makes up the difference when we fall short.  And God's Word guides us when we don't know where to turn next.

As a Christ following parent you probably know of Deuteronomy 6:4-7.  It provides a “how to” model for us.  It says, ⁴ “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One.  ⁵ Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.  ⁶ These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart.  ⁷ Repeat them to your children.  Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up

You heard it in a sermon.   You read it in a magazine.  You spent some time thinking about it.  You considered teachable moments.  You live it when you remember it.  You may have it memorized.   You may be practicing it.

And you may have stopped right there.

Right there in Deuteronomy chapter six, I mean.  Be honest.  You lose interest right from the whole "binding them on your hands and forehead" part.  Interesting fashion accessories those would be.  And you are a bit concerned with "writing them on your door-posts and gates" too.  I mean, what reputable decorating magazine would recommend that?

So, you stop with verse seven.  And that is not a bad place to stop.  Not bad at all.  If you can love God with all you have got.  If you can keep His Word in your heart.  If you can pass that sort of honest-to-goodness faith to your kids.  Wow!  You are doing great!  So, what's the fuss?

Well, no fuss.  Just a call to look further.

You have the “how to” above.  How about a model for the “what to”?

Practicing good biblical hermeneutics, we read the context.  The chapters and verses before and after the a given passage.  In the case of Deuteronomy Six, just as clearly as the “how-to” of teachable moments in verse 4-7, we see a template for the “what-to” in verses 20-25.  Let’s take a look: 

²⁰ “When your son asks you in the future, ‘What is the meaning of the decrees, statutes, and ordinances, which the Lord our God has commanded you?’ ²¹ tell him, ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand. ²² Before our eyes the Lord inflicted great and devastating signs and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his household, ²³ but He brought us from there in order to lead us in and give us the land that He swore to our fathers. ²⁴ The Lord commanded us to follow all these statutes and to fear the Lord our God for our prosperity always and for our preservation, as it is today. ²⁵ Righteousness will be ours if we are careful to follow every one of these commands before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us.’ 

“When your son asks,” states verse 20.  Not if.  God made us in His image.  Creative and inquisitive.  Our children ask and experiment to learn.  What truths about God should we teach them.

There are four “what to” teach topics in Deuteronomy 6:21-24:

• Experiences with God. Verse 21 teaches that you should be ready to share stories of lives impacted by an intersection with God.  Scripture stories.  Your own stories.  The stories of others you know.  We must “always be ready” to speak of the hope within us commands 1 Peter 3:15.  These stories should illustrate the greatness of God to meet our needs.
• Judgment of God.  Verse 22 shows that God is just and will judge sin.  This is essential truth. In order to call Christ our Lord and be saved, we must first recognize our own, personal sinfulness as in Romans 6:23.  Sometimes, these are conversations in the midst of administering discipline.  More importantly, like Moses in Deuteronomy, these are conversations during the good times to set boundaries as warnings to the consequences of judgment during the rebellion that will come.
• Purposes of God.  Verse 23 points to God’s leadership in all circumstances.  When our own faith is challenged we must rely upon the sovereignty of God in all of life.  Good or bad.  Anything that touches our lives has either been caused or allowed to work His good purpose within us we learn throughout Deuteronomy and from Philippians 2:13.
• Obedience to God.  Verse 24 is clear that God’s Word is not for our convenience, but our obedience.  And that obedience leads to the blessings only God can provide.  John 14:21 teaches that our obedience is a love issue.  If you have an obedience problem, you have a love problem.  We must make sure we know God’s Word.  And obey it.  And teach our children to follow us as we follow the Lord.

And what will be the hallmark of the life following God as these verses teach?  Righteousness.  A state of right being and living that can only be fully powered by God’s Holy Spirit and can only be fully reward by God’s amazing graciousness.  Stories.  Boundaries.  Sovereignty.  Obedience.  These four foundational teachings are the “what to” truths we build our children’s lives on.  Now stop reading and go parent with these truths in mind, Christ follower.

The Christ Following Citizen

The celebration of Independence Day weekend, the Fourth of July, has us tuned to what it means to be an American.  The Bible, as with all things, gives us guidance.

In Matthew 17:24-27 Jesus & Peter are challenged to pay the Jewish Temple tax.  This raises questions. Shouldn't Jesus, as a rabbi, be exempt?  More so shouldn't Jesus, as God's Son, be exempt?  Wouldn't his followers be exempt as well?  Yet Jesus leads Peter to the conclusion that Christ & his followers should obey earthly authorities with willingness & care not to offend.

The immorality or corruption of the governmental authority does not matter.

The obedience & service of the Christ follower as a citizen does matter.

Further Scriptures provide thorough guidelines for the attitude, understanding, & obedience of Christ followers desirous of being God honoring citizens.

As Christ following citizens:

1. We recognize our primary citizenship (1 Perter 2:9).  This is not only our new belonging as citizens in God's Eternal Kingdom, but our new being in Christ, & provides foundation for all that follows.
2. We are recipients of God's mercy (1 Peter 2:10).  We are Kingdom citizens because of God's mercy.  The living out of His mercy should be a hallmark of the Christ following life.
3. We live for the sake of others (1 Peter 2:11-12).  As citizens first of an eternal Kingdom, we must live such exemplary lives that others easily recognize the difference & glorify God because of us.
4. We obey authorities for the sake of Jesus (1 Peter 2:13-14).  More importantly than for others is that our submission to authorities is for our Lord's sake.
5. We must not offend authorities (Matthew 17:27).  As Heavenly citizens first, we obey not only the letter of the law of earthly authorities, but with a joyful attitude as well.
6. We pay taxes to the authority due (Matthew 22:21).  As beneficiaries of all our earthly governments provide, we must also participate in their support.
7. We submit to authorities (Romans 13:1-2).  God Himself has ordained the governing authorities of this earth, & we must not rebel lest we bring His judgment upon ourselves.
8. We obey authorities willingly (Romans 13:5).  Our good conscience as citizens of God's Kingdom, not the possibility of punishment here, should motivate us to obedience.
9. We pay taxes as God requires (Romans 13:6-7).  Since God has established earthly authorities as His servants, we must support them in their work.

Christ followers should be exemplary citizens.  That's our bottom line.  That is how Scripture guides.

May God bless us as citizens of His Eternal Kingdom.

May God bless the earthly nation of our citizenship.