The Adventure that Comes from Choosing to Act Like Peter
We’re going to dive into this Scripture!
Grab your Bible and turn to John. Now turn to the last chapter, John 21, or click HERE to give it a read before continuing. Specifically, take a look at verses 1 through 9.
It’s intriguing that in verse 3, Peter is the one who states, “I’m going out to fish.” We know that he was a fisherman by trade. It might be likely that his family had their own boat? Perhaps, when he says he’s going fishing, he means on his boat?
Peter’s Immediate Response
Jumping down to verse 7, we see Peter’s true nature. After John says, “It is the Lord,” Peter automatically leaps into action. He throws on his coat, jumps out of the boat, and begins to swim!
The boat could have made it to the shore just fine. It wasn’t damaged in any way. But Peter obviously knew that if he leaped out of the boat and immediately swam for it, he’d be face-to-face with his Lord that much sooner. If I were one of the twelve, would I be this excited to see Jesus?
A Personal Reflection
I remember attending a Break Forth conference in Edmonton one year. During one of the sessions, we were challenged to join a movement called TheLife. The beginning of this movement is to take a 35-day (Peter-like) challenge, where the following prayer becomes a daily commitment:
“Dear Jesus, I want you in the center of my life and commit through your power, to serve and obey you. Anytime. Anywhere. At any cost. To do anything.”
It was an important moment and an important commitment. Perhaps you’re looking for a fresh start and a new commitment this week. When you hear that voice say, “It is the Lord,” will you grab your coat and jump, run, act, speak, do? Regardless of the cost, do anything, anywhere at any time? Maybe today’s your day!
Join the Conversation; Share Your Thoughts
- Are you willing to leap into action like Peter?
- If so, what is God calling you to do?
Love the content you’ve been putting out lately – a lot of challenges! Keep them coming! This post was especially challenging to me because it is so easy to talk the talk (especially in the blogosphere) without backing that up with bold steps up faith. For me actually a big “Peter-like” step was starting my newest blog on what I am learning in my marriage. Had many friends that I knew would see it, and was nervous how they would respond to the explicit posts about Christ, the Bible, and marriage on my blog. Glad I took the step as it has been a positive experience both in my life and in the life of those friends that I was worried about! Has sparked discussions I never would have had before! Thanks for the encouragement,
Jason
http://jbend8.wordpress.com
Thank you for the encouragement Jason! Believe it or not, my latest content is older content. I used to write a blog titled, “QuietMorningsWithHim.com” in Blogger. When I switched over to WordPress and after reading “Quitter” by Jon Acuff, I started using my name as JeremyNortonBlog.com. I wrestled with whether or not it was a good decision, then ended up with LeadBiblically.com. (It’s been a journey!)
Needless to say, my style of writing has changed a lot since the beginning – I believe for the better. My content is often more Biblically-focused and I believe God is calling me to more posts based on Scripture, but I also write about life in general.
All that being said, I checked out your blog and truth be told, your 365 day challenge is a bold one! I hope and pray that God gives you (and your marriage) much fruit from your endeavour. Thanks again for supporting my writing!
Jeremy