Getting Out of the Boat

Back to Peter that morning at the Sea of Galilee. It seems that Peter had slipped back into fishing although Jesus, post-resurrection, had given him a new calling. I think Peter’s reaction is pretty understandable. He was used to fishing. He felt competent at it and comfortable doing it. He probably also felt like he should be doing something “productive” with his time. On the other hand, this going out and making disciples was unknown territory. It probably didn’t yield quick results and it definitely didn’t yield a paycheck.

Yet after that morning when Peter talked with Christ on the Galilean shore, we never read about Peter fishing again. Instead we read about him preaching, performing miracles and drafting books of the Bible. How in the world did he make the transition? And how do we get out of our own familiar ruts and start living the Christ-like life we long for?

I think the story in John 21 gives us a couple clues on how we can begin to transition. First, get out of the boat and get to where you can converse with Jesus. We read that as soon as Peter realized Jesus was standing on shore he jumped out of the boat and waded in to shore. If you can picture the scene, Jesus is standing on the beach shouting to the fishermen who are about 100 yards off shore. It’s not really the ideal set-up for an intimate conversation with someone you love or with someone whose direction and advice you desperately need. So Peter fixed that. He just walked away from the fishing boat and towards the place he knew Jesus was standing. Then he was in a position to hear what Jesus has to say about what he should be doing with his life. It was the first step toward a whole new life.

So what is my fishing boat and what is yours? Do we need to turn off the TV, close the magazine, get away from the office or the laundry or the instant messaging for a few minutes? There are fishing boats in all of our lives. They are things we are so used to that we don’t notice how much time we are spending in them or realize what other things they are keeping us from doing. Just walk away from them for a few minutes today and get to the place you know Jesus is standing. And what if you don’t know where He is? Well, your New Testament is a good start. You know you can read His words there, right? Walk away from your boat, open the New Testament and start reading. Even for just a couple minutes.

Habit for January: How are you doing on our new habits for 2006? Remember to pray for two minutes before getting out of bed each morning and before you drift off to sleep each night. And read the New Testament for five minutes today--maybe during your commute, your exercise routine or before you turn on the TV tonight. For more info, see the January 3 post.