Failures Flourish Series

Fisherman must count their fish – 153 big fish! Perhaps the greatest catch they ever saw. It was a miracle catch! Peter had failed, but Christ caused him to flourish.

Christ did the miraculous through him, and Jesus wants to do the same for you. Without Him, you can do nothing, but with Him, nothing is impossible!

What is a pen? By itself, it’s useless. All it does is lay there. It may look pretty. It may “have what it takes” (ink, etc.), but it is useless without a hand to hold it. Then, let a Shakespeare or a Milton or a Longfellow take that same pen, and it will write words that will move the hearts of people for centuries. We are but pens in the hand of God.

Somebody wrote…

“Without Me ye can do nothing.” Lord, I know, I know!

“Without Me ye can do noting” – Only a round “0.”

Stand by my side, O Master, Then One and 0 are ten;

Stand by my friend and me, Lord – We are a hundred then.

A little group of two or three Are gathered in thy name –

‘Tis a hundred or a thousand if You are standing there with them.

Stand by the side of each of us – Your servants in the fight –

With each new “nought” the numbers grow; The imps of hell take fright.

Ten thousand, millions, myriads –

An adjustment of our thoughts.

‘Tis the One who stands beside us

Makes the value of our “noughts.”

You may feel like a big fat “ZERO,” at times. But let the One, the Resurrected One, stand beside you, and you are a TEN!

FAILURES FLOURISH WHEN THEY ARE WITH CHRIST.

Sinners succeed in His presence. All you have to do is what Peter did, and that’s come to Christ.

COME FOR FELLOWSHIP WITH CHRIST AND LET HIM FEED YOU.

Get close to the Lord and let Him serve you. Move towards the Lord and let Him minister to you.

When Peter realized it was Jesus standing on the shore, Peter dove into the water and got to Jesus as quick as he could. This is how I imagined it happened. Take a look (show video: Jesus restores Peter from The Easter Experience, episode 2, City on a Hill Productions, 2009)

Jesus happily receives Peter and feeds him along with his friends.

John 21:12-14 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. (ESV)

They were sharing a meal together; and around that meal, they were sharing their lives once again.

Jesus eats with failures, and Jesus wants to do that with you, as well. In Revelation 3:20, Jesus said to a failing group of Christians, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

Jesus said this to the Laodicean church! They had grown lukewarm in their commitment to Christ and were in danger of losing their testimony. Even so, Jesus says to them, “Let’s eat together. Let’s fellowship together. Let’s share our lives together.”

That’s His invitation to all who have failed Him, to all who are at times lukewarm in their commitment to Him. Jesus doesn’t reject you when you fail. On the contrary, He says to you, “Let’s get together.”