There are bookends that sit on my table With my Bible, and journals and books A tottering row of this thing and that With my thoughts and my dreams in their nooks
Like my opening show on its one end With the years crowded there in between And together they give me reminders Of my soon coming brief closing scene
Yet my heart holds a peace at its center For God promised that I have a place And the one who is writing my chapters Keeps the best for the last by His grace
So, teach us to number our days, That we might get a heart of wisdom Psalm 90:12 ESV
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, Ephesians 3:14-17 ESV
I confess that usually I pray small prayers like, “Please Lord, don’t let it rain on the church picnic!” or “Father, we’re broke, please help us pay the bills this month!” Now, there is nothing wrong with those prayers. After all, Jesus taught us to ask for daily bread, and our loving Father gladly opens His hand to bless us with answers to even small needs. But I am humbled when I read this prayer of Saint Paul, recalling that he wrote it while kneeling down on the stone floor of his cell and praying for his friends to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit. Wow! In those circumstances, my first request would be, “Lord get me out of here!” Yes, Paul was human, and in other places he does talk about wanting to be released. But his deepest desire was not for God to liberate him from his situation, but for others to know Jesus. Even more amazing to me, is that Paul’s prayers are still being answered in our lives today. What about us? Are we asking blessings for ourselves or are we moved by the needs of others? Am I seeking good but only temporary blessings, or am I praying for others to know Jesus and have a love for Him in generations to come? Am I praying prayers that God’s answer will only be that the rain holds off during our picnic or am I asking for people to know the love of Christ because only that will last forever?!
Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.John 21:12 ESV
It is curious to me that like two bookends, the disciples’ experiences with Jesus were bracketed by two unlucky fishing trips. The first day with Him as well as the last, began with a morning meeting. In the first, (Luke 5:10), Jesus tells them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Then, for three and a half years, as they followed, Jesus taught them about heaven and showed them what it looked like, as He gave sight to the blind, cleansed the lepers, and fed the crowds with only a few loaves of bread.
In the same way, Jesus calls us to follow and to fish for Him. But it does seem that a lot of our fishing, just like the disciples, looks like pulling in empty nets. But Jesus also taught about planting seeds, and He said that good seed in good soil would yield a good harvest. Now harvest time is great, but most of the year on a farm is not about picking apples, grapes, or corn. A farmer’s days are filled by waiting for seeds to germinate, watering them, and then pulling weeds. Yes, the corn gets taller, the apples grow larger, and grapes begin to fill the vines, but harvest time comes at the end, not the beginning of the season. But if we faithfully follow Jesus, casting nets and pulling weeds, our harvest or catch of fish will one day come. Though our labors may seem to be unrewarded, Jesus is working all night as well and He is waiting for our arrival. As Christians, our end comes not at night, but at dawn. So, listen, He is calling you, “Come my child, bring what you have caught, sit by my side and let’s have breakfast together in Heaven!”
praise2worshipdotnet 
You must be logged in to post a comment.