“I’m going fishing,” said Simon Peter. For
centuries that has probably been our own normal, knee-jerk response to broken
fellowship with God. To seek the once familiar things, things rooted in our
past—in a sense to head back to “Egypt.” But the result of that decision always
leads to barrenness. “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” was how
Jesus brought home that truth, and their answer, as ours might be too, was
“No.” (John 21) Living in a “far country” away from the Master and His will,
steals us of joy, peace, direction and fruit. And it could be that today is a
time for retrospection, a time to realign priorities, a time for confession,
forgiveness and restoration. It could be, that this is a time to make the trek
back “Home,” and mend a broken fellowship with the Lord.
Interestingly the question that Jesus asked Peter while restoring him was not
“Do you promise not to deny me again” or “Are you sorry for what you did?” No,
it was, “Do you love me more than these?” Do you love me! Difficult to believe,
isn’t it? No condemnation. No rebuke. No lecture. No reprimand. Simply, “Do you
love Me?”
So, these are questions confronting me: “Have I gone fishing in any area of my
life?” “Am I experiencing barrenness?” and “What might be the ‘these’ that I
love more than my Jesus?” This is a good time, I think, to be frank and honest
with the spiritual condition of our lives, and then be bold enough to make
course corrections, and answer like Peter, “Lord, You know all things, You know
that I love You.” That’s my hope—for me, for you.
Do you love me!
