LET'S GO FISHING

When Jesus met Andrew, Peter, James, and John down by their boats that life-changing day, these four men, along with 8 others, gave up their lives and agreed to follow the Savior of the world and learn how to become fishers of men (Matthew 4:18-22). Their journey took them places they would've never imagined. Jesus had them doing things no one had ever seen before (Matthew 10:1-15). And during that entire time, Jesus was teaching them, preparing them, for the moment He would not be there to physically teach them, but to spiritually guide them as they shared Jesus with the world (John 14:25-31). Peter, one of Jesus' most devout followers, was told by Jesus that he would deny Him three times the night Jesus was arrested (Matthew 26:31-35). Peter knew how strong he believed in Jesus (Matthew 26:35). BUT when placed in a difficult situation, even the strongest believer has moments of weakness. The night Jesus was arrested, Peter denied Jesus three times (Luke 22:54-62). So, when Jesus returned to life, right before He ascended to Heaven, He made sure to do something for Peter before He left. RESTORE HIM. On our packaging, we have Peter's quote from John 21:3. He says, "I am going fishing". It's more than just a catchy phrase. There is a lesson that comes after Peter declares he's going fishing (John 21:4-19). His friends, the other disciples, say, "We are going with you also." That night, they did not catch a single fish. As the morning came, they saw Jesus on the shore. He encouraged them to try one more time after they told Him they did not catch anything. So they did as Jesus commanded, and they caught so many fish they were not able to draw in their nets. See, to be a proper fisher of men, you have got to have Jesus guiding you. But this moment was huge in Peter's life. On the shore, when they finally met up with Jesus, he was standing by a fire. And not just any fire, but a fire of COALS (John 21:9). And He asked Peter three simple questions: Do you love Me, do you love Me, DO YOU LOVE ME? Three questions by a fire of coals, standing before other men, asking Peter to declare his love for Him. Why would He do this to Peter? Because, on the day Jesus was arrested, Peter denied Jesus THREE times, standing by a FIRE of COALS before MEN (John 18:15-18; John 18:25-27). Jesus was taking Peter back to the road he denied Him on, in order to restore him. Why? Because He loved Peter so much, the thought of denying Peter before His Father broke His heart that He had to restore him before He ascended to Heaven. Jesus does not show favoritism (Romans 2:11), so if He said "whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 10:33), then this would apply to EVERYONE, including one of His most loved disciples, Peter. But we see Jesus' love for Peter in how it was so important to Him that He restore Peter before He ascended to Heaven. And this doesn't just apply to Peter; He does this for all of us. For the nonbeliever, He's there, waiting for you with His arms wide open, like the father of the prodigal son (Luke 15:20-24). Doing everything He can to bring you to Him. He does not force Himself on a person, but the Father draws them to Jesus (John 6:44).Believers who have backslid, He WILL restore you, just like He did Peter. And He will restore you...on the same road you denied Him.