Chara-Joy 🌸

John 21:5 “He called out, ” Friends, have you caught any fish? ” “No,” they replied.”

It is amazing how patient the Lord is to us. This is when Peter and the other disciples went fishing after Jesus was crucified, resurrected and had revealed Himself to them several times. One would have thought that they will ‘stick to the book’. Remember Jesus had taught them about preaching and sharing the good news and had even called them out of fishing into the ministry. “They didn’t get it“. They didn’t understand what the Lord wanted them to do; so once Jesus was out of the picture for a season, they went back to what they knew best – fishing. They went fishing and caught nothing. Imagine that. Some of us would have crucified them, lashed them, laughed at them, reminded them again and again how they caught nothing after disobeying the voice of the Lord. They would have known no peace, and their own conscience too wouldn’t have spared them.

The Lord is our shepherd and this is something that we know,
but how well do we know Him as a shepherd? Do we only know Him as someone who protects provides, guides and directs us? Do we also know Him as someone who is patiently helping us until we get to the place where we are able to hear and heed His voice?

Having encountered people who could not withstand our weakness and failures, we turn to run away from or think that the Lord doesn’t love us anymore when we fall short..
We see the Lord in the scripture above very patient with the disciples, even though they were in rebellion to his commands; He still came to where they were, asked them whether they had caught any fish and even made a dinner for them. To be like our shepherd, let us be patient with people especially when they don’t “get it the first time” – let’s keep on saying the same things again and again until the people that we are giving the instructions to get it. In this way, we will help people not to fall into the condemnation of the devil but will rather be liberated because we had patience with them. Remember that love is patient. Some people fall in love with people who are patient with them while many people die to people who are impatient with them.
Love is patient and love can be seen.

Let’s pray 🙏
Father thank you that you are love. Thank you that we see your love for us through your patient. Please help us to receive your love and help us to love others by being patient with them, this we ask on Jesus’s name.

Amen 🙏