After following Jesus’ instructions to throw their nets on the other side of the boat, the disciples hauled in a huge catch of fish. Back on the beach, He invited them to “come and have breakfast” (John 21:12, NIV). With furtive glances and downcast faces, “none of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?'” (John 21:12, NIV). They knew. And on that early spring morning beside the sparkling sea, Jesus took the bread and fish from the fire and fed His disciples breakfast! They feasted and were satisfied, not only by the food He had provided, but also by the fish they had caught.
Jesus was teaching them an important life lesson. They had been out in the boat, apparently trying to meet their own needs, doing what they were naturally good at, but basically living their lives without Him. And they had come up empty. Unfulfilled. But when He was in their lives, and they obeyed His Word, and they served Him in His way, not only were they successful, but they were also satisfied!
The fruit of the vineyard is only borne in abundance on tender, fairly new growth. As the wood of a branch gets older, it tends to get harder. So even though a branch is living and is connected to the vine, it can become barren. Still leaving the branch connected to the vine, the gardener cuts back the old, hard wood, forcing it into new growth that will produce fruit instead of just more wood and leaves. In fact, there are times when he cuts the branch back so drastically all that is left of it is the connection to the vine.
Jesus described this drastic pruning in a believer’s life when He explained that the Gardener “cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit.” There are times when God cuts everything out of our lives except our relationship with Jesus. He forces us to pay attention to our relationship with Him because that’s all we have. And in the process, our “connection” to the Vine is enlarged and fruit is produced.
God promised to bless Abraham, but Abraham would not receive all God had for him unless he claimed it by leaving everything – his familiar surroundings, his comfortable lifestyle, his old friends, his values, his job, his home, and even his family – and set out on a life of faith. God told him, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you” (Gen. 12:1). Abraham did not know where God would lead, just that he was to follow. God’s command was clear. Abraham was to put God first in his life if he wanted to receive God’s blessing.
If Abraham obeyed God by putting Him first and by following His lead for the rest of his life, things would be dramatically different. He must have known that God was not just adding a weekend hobby or an additional commitment to an already busy life. God was describing a radical change!
Our homes are to be places of moral, spiritual, social, emotional, and physical benefit. If you think that what you do within the privacy of your own home is your own business, think again! God has made it His business, and you and I will experience serious consequences if we refuse to follow His directions for our homes.
Destruction and brokenness are all around us today. It is a brokenness that is directly related to denying our children the benefit of moral, spiritual, emotional, and social instruction. If we do not instruct our children about God and His “Manufacturer’s directions” for living, they will develop their own standards and values based on what they feel, what they think, what their friends are doing, and what seems to work-and in one generation we will see the chaos and confusion that result from their “guessing” their way through life. God has given us directions telling us how to live a life that works. If we are to prevent brokenness, our homes should be places of moral and spiritual benefit to those living within them.
Jesus is our risen Lord and reigning King! You and I are to serve Him by getting involved in meeting the needs of others simply because He says so! He is Lord! And while we should never forget Who He is, we should also never forget who we are!
You and I are . . .
sinners saved, (Romans 3:23-24)
blood bought, (1 Peter 1:18-19)
prisoners freed, (Luke 4:18)
glory bound. (Colossians 3:4)
We are not our own. We belong to Him. (John 15:19 NKJV)
Our lives no longer are to be lived according to what we want but according to what He says. We are His faithful servants. If you know your place, have you accepted it?
