Monday 19 Apr 2021

April 19: John 21:1-6
 
Key Verse: John 21:5
He called out to them, ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?’ ‘No,’ they answered.
 
Devotion:
How many things have frustrated you during these pandemic times? How many things have you been stopped from doing or have not been able to succeed because of Covid-19? I know I have felt very frustrated by not being able to do things with the young people, not being able to meet up and just talk things through or to have fun... But there are always going to be times during our lives when the harvest seems to be non-existent!
 
Over the years I have seen the ebb and flow of youth work and even adult church work. I have seen the lean times and have experienced the abundant times. This is the way of the world – nothing is permanent, and nothing lasts forever. But we do have a Saviour who has promised us many good times and continues to look out for us all the time. Our issue seems to be listening when we need to listen!
 
One of the biggest parts of youth work is listening to the youth and finding out where they are both mentally and spiritually. Without that listening we do not have much hope of being able to reach them with the gospel. God wants us to listen to others all the time and to be willing to change what we are doing in order to gain the most from every situation.
 
In this story Jesus was waiting on the shore and shouting instructions to the disciples on the boat. They did not think it would be Jesus and so were not prepared... but something made them stop and listen. Because of that step, they found a whole different approach to their fishing – not just because it was the other side of the boat but because it was a haul which could have sunk their boat if they were not careful!
 
Points to Ponder:
Do you listen to the world?
 
Do you listen to God?