Campfire on the Shore

I really like going to the lake and watching the waves lap up on the shore. But what beats that is going to the lake in the early morning! The killdee will scurry along the edge of the water pecking at bits of food. The doves' cooing song is serenading the sunrise while a white crane relaxes near the cat-tails.

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Off in the distance a boat's silhouette rides the gentle waves. The sound of the lapping waves and the crisp breeze refresh my spirit. One of my favorite things to do is think on how much Jesus loved mornings on the shore, too. That's right! John gives us a glimpse of what Jesus did in His spare time.

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Let me set the stage for you. Look at the picture above and imagine a boat in the foreground and you are squatting on the shore of the Sea of Tiberius (Galilee) next to a campfire. The smell of smoke and grilled fish is in the brisk air. Now if you listen, you can hear a few disgruntled voices traveling across the water as if they were just a few feet away. Seven men with zero fish still casting their nets in the ninth inning. The last thing they want is for someone to ask them, "Have you caught anything?"

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Now you hear the voice of a man calling out to the boat, "Children, do you have any food?"

"No," is their sad response. A dove coos as the light of dawn paints the eastern horizon. The crackling fire is sending up waves of mouth-watering fragrance out to the boat. The men pull in their nets despairingly apparently one last time.

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The beachman's voice then speaks words that would only stir the souls of certain men, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." Then you see why Jesus spent the night on the beach fishing by a nice fire. They cast out the hundredth time, expecting another empty net, and this time they couldn't pull it in it was so full!

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One of the men excitedly drops the net he was holding and grabs his tunic and pulls it over his head. The other six keep pulling and fighting the bulging net. Unflinchingly, he jumps into the water and swims to shore. This wasn't about food anymore. This was about purpose.

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Peter felt like he was worthless to Jesus since he denied Him during Jesus' trial. And when was the last time he went fishing? Since he had been following Jesus, he had left his father's nets. Wholeheartedly he followed Jesus. But now he was struggling within his soul. He was no hypocrite. He knew what he was and he wasn't going to make any excuses. He was a backstabber and unfit to be included in any post-resurrection plans Jesus wold have.

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Go on and read the rest of this beautiful story. It's in John 21. This isn't just Peter's story. No, it is also yours. This is the story of second chances for us. We must remember that we don't really have anything to offer God. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) God doesn't look around and say, "What I need are some perfect people so that I can use someone I approve of." No, instead he looks around and says, "They are so lost, mixed up and messed up! Son, you know what is the only way we can save them," and Jesus nods in solemn agreement.

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This is the mighty love of our God! It is the kind of love that we don't work for, and that will wait all night on the beach just for us, and cook up a breakfast just for us. It is the forgiveness that is mixed with unbudging truth. It is a teaching love that helps us understand that it is all about thanking God for what we could never do, and then living out what we've come to know.

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So where are you in this picture really? Are you still pulling in empty nets, or are you walking along the beach with Jesus? Are you just now jumping in the water, or are you having the most wonderful fish breakfast you've ever had?

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Read this story and let Jesus ask you the questions. You will find a true friend in Jesus.

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---Johnie