Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.
Routines. We all have them. Every morning, I wake up, and the first thing I do is feed our animals, fix my wife and I coffee, and I kiss my little boys on the head as they sleep. It’s almost become a sort of muscle memory at this point, but at what point do we let consistency become complacency?
I’m not saying there is anything wrong is the fact that I get up and do things to take care of my family, but when it comes to my everyday life, when it comes to work or free time, do I carve out time to be with the Father intentionally, or am I doing what I know due to habit?
We see this in John 21, specifically, and I always find it to be one of the more humanizing passages about the disciples. Peter had just experienced a whirlwind of emotions, from cutting a soldier’s ear off in the garden and denying Jesus three times to finding nothing but the grave clothes in the tomb. The past few days were wild, to say the least.
What did Peter do in response? He did what he knew, his routine. He went back to the place where Jesus had met Him 3 years earlier, fishing in a boat on the Sea of Galilee.
When life hits any of us hard, we tend to turn to any comfort we can find. I think this is exactly why Peter went back to where he left off. He was most likely ashamed, scared, and to a point, defeated.
The thing is, though, Jesus isn’t one for our routines. He tends to interrupt and challenge us to step out. In this case, He did just that. John 21:1-8 brings things full circle for Peter. Let’s look at the parallels here.
- When Jesus first met Peter, they were fishing, and He told Peter to cast his net (Luke 5:2-11). He does the same here in John 21.
- We remember the timidity of Peter to step out on the water when Jesus told him to “Take courage and not be afraid” (Matthew 14:25-32). Here in John, we see that when Peter simply sees Jesus on the shore, He dives in and swims to Him (John 21:7-8).
- There on the shore, we see Jesus sitting by what Scripture describes as a “charcoal fire” (John 21:9). Why is this important? It was by this same type of fire in Luke 22:54-57 that Peter first denied Christ.
- Finally, we see Jesus ask Peter that question three times in John 21:15-19: “Do you love me?” when Peter had just before denied Christ three times in Luke 22.
Jesus sees our routines, our habits, and our comforts, and sometimes He will use them to make us remember and step out.
For me, it’s remembering the redemptive grace given through Jesus that saved my life when I almost decided to end my life. When I fix coffee for my wife, I remember almost destroying our marriage from depression. When I kiss my boys on the head as they sleep, I remember almost not being there for them because of the overwhelming anxiety of not being a good enough father. These things make me cherish the life God has given me, not to discourage routine, but to remember why I have what I have and that there is more I can do. There is more I can be when I approach life intentionally remembering the goodness and grace of Jesus.
Take two minutes to reflect in silence.
Reflection:
- Use the S.O.A.P. Method to study God’s Word.
- SCRIPTURE: What stands out to you in today’s passage?
- OBSERVATION: What is this text saying? What is the context? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Are there any commands, instructions, or promises?
- APPLICATION: How can you apply this verse to your life? What does this mean today? What is God saying to you?
- PRAYER: Respond to the passage in prayer. Ask God to help you apply this truth to your life and spend some time listening to what He may be telling you.
The Way of Jesus: 7 Marks of Discipleship
As we begin a new series, we encourage you to lean into the 7 Marks of Discipleship each week. The 7 Marks of Discipleship provide a simple tool to help us identify areas where we are thriving in our calling and where we can grow. Check here each week for a new 7 Marks Challenge that will encourage you to follow Jesus closer every day.
