FRIDAY- 17TH MAY, 2024
MORNING WINGS DAILY DEVOTIONAL - Olusola ADEJUMO
DO YOU GO A FISHING?
John 21:3, KJV
"Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing."
God is in the business of restoring men. It doesn't matter how far gone you are in your backslidden stage, if you'll hear God's voice and acknowledge His signs, you shall be back ashore.
This confession of Peter above comes after much meditation in his heart. He sees himself as idle - with no work. As such, he decides to be occupied. He wants his hands to find something doing. So, he stands up and proclaims, "I go a fishing." First of all, God wants to issue a warning to idle people. Those who have left their estates - the very ones God committed into their hands. When you have repented from following after the assignment God gave to you, you can't but say, "I go a fishing." Why? God created we humans to be occupied. He didn't create us to be idle with no job doing. He wants our hands to be filled and He wants only purpose and our calling to have that space. So, when you let go of your God given work (not work of ministry to everyone except those called into ministry), you become jobless and seek for a substitute work to do. That's what happen to Peter. The substitute work he could find to reengage in and go back to was his former fishing business from which Christ collected him.
When Christ recruited him, Jesus says to him, "follow me and I will make you fishers of men" (Luke 5:10). Why would Jesus want to make him fishers of men? Because that's more a higher calling than his having been a fisher of fishes. If I should ask you which is of more value, "fishes" or "men", what would you say? We sure know that the human soul is more worthy and of value than many fishes put together. For the Bible says, "for what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul" (Matthew 16:26, KJV)? The answer ought to be nothing because nothing equalizes the value of the human soul. The human soul is so valuable that Christ died for it. Jesus' death was foremostly to redeem the human soul. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
That's the reason - the sole reason for Which Christ called Peter and others. He wants them to busy themselves saving humans who are valuable than fishes. But now that the Master is out of sight, service to God and ministry seems to have gone into oblivion. No wonder, someone like Peter could say, "I go a fishing. At least, I need something to pass time with."
Does this not show his backslidden state? It shows he has let go of his highest calling to returning to the lesser for which Christ collected him. Imagine a retrogression from "a fishers of men to a fishers of fishes." That's not interesting at all. It's not different from the backsliding of Samson to being a mere entertainer instead of he who strikes fear in the hearts of the Philistines (Judges 16:25).
May you not retrogress. May you maintain your lot and stick to your ministry. May you not leave your highest calling to serving tables or doing the lesser. May you see what to protect - that it's the very assignment for which God saved, recruited and trained you. May you remain fishers of men, living to evangelize and save men (bringing them to Christ) where you are. May you not solely be a fisher of fishes (someone who goes after bread and what to put in his mouth only). May what to eat, where to sleep or what to put on not wean you from "go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to all creatures" of the Master.
PRAYER: Lord, open my eyes to my backslidden state. Recover me.
BIBLE IN A YEAR: 1 Samuel 20:1-21:15, John 9:1-41, Psalm 113:1-114:8, Proverbs 15:15-17
Powered by Morning Wings Ministries. Click TRANSLATE on the blog & read in your own language. Enquire or counsel through +234 80 77 63 85 50 or +234 8137 04 68 12 II morningwingministry@gmail.com & Blog @ http://morningwingsministry.blogspot.com
BIBLE IN A YEAR: 1 Samuel 20:1-21:15, John 9:1-41, Psalm 113:1-114:8, Proverbs 15:15-17
Powered by Morning Wings Ministries. Click TRANSLATE on the blog & read in your own language. Enquire or counsel through +234 80 77 63 85 50 or +234 8137 04 68 12 II morningwingministry@gmail.com & Blog @ http://morningwingsministry.blogspot.com
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