Vessel Orlando
When Peter realizes that the man who spoke to them from the shore is Jesus, Peter jumps in – literally. He puts on his clothes, jumps in the water, and begins the 100 yard swim to the shore. But this begs a question: why would Peter get dressed if he knew he was going swimming? Why add clothes back on if he wanted to swim to Jesus as fast as he could? Maybe there’s more going on here than meets the eye. In this the second week of our Flashback series, we’ll be looking for a solution to this question but exploring another significant moment in the life of Peter, a moment that literally caused him and the rest of the disciples to see Jesus in a way they’d never seen before.
John 21:1-8 ESV
Sometimes our next right step makes no sense at all. You can spend the rest of your life thinking about what you should do, or you can take a leap of faith and trust God with the results.
Next Steps:
1. Don’t overthink ‘it’ – if you sense God doing something, go for it. Jump in. If it’s not sin and God hasn’t said “No” step out in faith, get dressed, and cast yourself in.
2. There’s beauty in simplicity – the less we have, the less we have to worry about. Have you said yes to too many things? Do you have so much stuff that you feel tied down, overloaded or unable to move forward? Get rid of some stuff. Say no. Simplify. Less can indeed be more.
Get back to the basics – At the core of our faith we are called to love God and love others. It’s that simple and that complicated. Ask yourself – how is or how will this (whatever thisis) love God and love others? If you don’t have a good answer, maybe it’s not for you.
3. Remember to remember – the catch, the fish, the waves, the sea, the nets, the boats, the miracle – all of those things were reminders of God’s faithfulness in Peter’s life. Don’t forget to remember God’s faithfulness. If helpful, keep little reminders or symbols on hand that help you recall all that God has done for you.
4. Wait for it – Jesus had to push the disciples away to show them how close he was and he had to confuse them to help them understand. There may be times when it feels as though God has pulled away from us. Maybe he did. Because the truth is, there may be something His absence can teach you that His presence actually can’t. It may feel scary and confusing but hang in there, God’s up to something.
Benediction: As you go following Jesus, may you think less and respond more for the glory of God and the sake of the world.