Topic: Fishing on the Wrong Side of the Boat [Joyce Meyer Devotional 5 March 2020]

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Simon Peter said to them, I am going fishing! They said to him, And we are coming with you! So they went out and got into the boat….— John 21:3 (AMPC)

After Jesus had risen from the dead and proven He was alive to His disciples, Peter wasn’t sure what he should do anymore, so he went back to what he was doing before he met Jesus: fishing. The others decided to go with Peter and fished throughout the night, but caught nothing.

John 21:4-5 says,
Morning was already breaking when Jesus came to the beach and stood there. However, the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. So Jesus said to them, Boys (children), you do not have any meat (fish), do you? …They answered Him, No!

Emotional decisions usually leave us in the same boat as the disciples, “catching nothing.” In other words, they don’t provide satisfying results.

The passage continues in verse 6:
And He said to them, Cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find [some]. So they cast the net, and now they were not able to haul it in for such a big catch … [was in it].

It’s interesting that Jesus didn’t call the disciples men, but rather He called them children. He asked them, “Are you doing any good at what you’re trying to do?” That is a question we should ask ourselves when we don’t seem to have any fruit (or fish) to show for the long hours we work.

When we “fish” outside the will of God, it’s like fishing on the wrong side of the boat. As you listen for God’s voice, He’ll show you where to throw your nets.

Prayer Starter: Father, please show me any areas of my life where I’m outside of Your will. Thank You for showing me what I need to change in order to live the blessed life You have for me. In Jesus’ Name, amen.