Day 21 21-Day Challenge

Last day! I made it, but about a week late. Amazing the things that can get in the way of getting involved in studying our Bibles. I feel like I have learned quite a bit from this 21-day journaling challenge. I hope many of you have had the same experience.

"I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. John 21:3 (NIV)

He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. John 21:6 (NIV)

I have read this so many times and marveled at the enormity of this miracle. But I never saw it like I did this morning. Jesus was teaching His followers (and me) about the results of the work they would be doing for Him. Working with the church can be an up-and-down experience -- people responding at times and not even listening at other times. Catching fish, maybe catching nothing. We may see results, we may not.

Some of the lack of results may be due to the fact that I don't remember to keep Jesus at the center. I get my priorities a little messed up and I feel a little proud and in-control, and then we don't see results from our work. But when Jesus is at the right place in the center of my ministry, people will respond to Him and the results will be "egantic and ginormous". That is exciting to me.

My prayer is that we all can get our priorities right so that Jesus can work through us and reach our community with God's love. When we do that our vision will become reality -- "To be a Christ-centered community, loving and accepting people so that lives are changed by the power of God." Amen