John 21:9 “So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread.”
Observation: Seven of the disciples, including some hard-core fishermen, had just spent a long night fishing without a single catch. These men were no doubt bone tired and probably a bit irritated as well when a man called from the beach to tell them to make one last cast of their nets on the right-hand side of the boat. Suddenly overwhelmed by a huge catch, they recognized the risen Lord and rushed to shore to discover He had already prepared breakfast for them: grilled fish and bread on a charcoal fire.
Application: What a sweet, promising hint of things to come. At the end of exhaustion, there is rest. At the end of striving, it is He who feeds me. At the end of working through the long, dark night on my own, there He is, waiting in the light. At the end of my best though disappointing efforts, He shows Himself to have been there all along. This is the master fisherman who had climbed onto the hook Himself to catch me. This is the master carpenter who has gone ahead to prepare a place for me, even as He had already laid the fire and prepared breakfast for hungry, tired, disappointed fishermen.
Imagine: The Bread of Life giving food, Himself, to His followers. Having no need of anything they had brought to the table, He simply gave Himself to them. When they had eaten their fill, He told Peter to go and do as He had done: “Feed my sheep” He said (John 21:17, NIV). “If you love Me, feed My sheep.”
Prayer: Lord, You never ask me to do anything You have not already done. And here, in the last story of the last chapter of the last book of the Gospels,You have done it again. Let my life be poured out in sacrificial love for those whom You love, O Lord. I have gained everything because of the cost You have already paid. I lay my life at Your feet and ask that You be my strength in all You call me to. Thank You for Your example, for Your call, and for Your equipping through the Holy Spirit.