“It Is The Lord!”

“It Is The Lord!”(Jn.21:1-14).
A day after the resurrection Jesus appeared to the disciples who were together in a locked room for fear of the Jews. He commissioned them saying,“Peace be with you! As the Father sent me, I am sending you. Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”(Jn.20:19-22).
How come that seven of them suddenly decided to fall back on their old trade of fishing? Was it boredom or hunger that caused them to want to go out and fish? They had been called to become fishers of men. It had not dawned on them that their work was just beginning.
It is either that they thought that with the death of Jesus their mission was aborted or that they just needed something to eat.
One thing is clear: Jesus approved of what they did. They fished
all night but caught nothing.Then early in the morning the risen Lord stood on the shore, “but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.” He directed them to throw their net on the right side of the boat. “When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish,” numbering 153 large fish,“but even with so many the net was not torn.”
By showing them the direction where to cast their net, and judging from the quantity of fish they caught, Jesus thus approved of the “tent making ministry.” Those who are called to preach the gospel should not only depend on the goodwill of the Christians, but they should have an anchor in some vocation that can help put food on the table.
In the same way, ministers of the gospel should encourage the Christians to spend more time in work and less time in prayer. Prayer alone cannot put food on the tsble, but work that is complemented by prayer leads to a great catch!
The risen Lord Jesus Christ is there in your moment of need, but without the eyes of faith, you may not realize that he is the one.
Again, we are nothing without the risen Lord. He says,“apart from me you can do nothing”(Jn.15:5).
When we pray for discernment, the scales can always fall off our eyes for us to see and know that “It is the Lord!” When the going is rough, we may want to give up, when we think all our efforts are wasted, the risen Lord stands by the shore of our despair and directs us on what to do.
Take note: He does not do It for you; he shows you what to do! If you keep vigil in prayer and spend almost all day in prayer, the Lord will not put food on your table. He is there to show you where to throw your net.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, show me where to throw my net. Holy Spirit help equip me with a discerning spirit. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.