Lessons from the Heart
Follow me
By Pastor Tim Pohlman

Pohlman

The discipleswere fishing.Although the resurrection had taken place and they had seen Jesus, they were still unsure as to what to do next. So, they returned to fishing; something they knew how to do. For Peter, Andrew, James and John - itwas their profession. They'd done it all their lives with their fathers. But despite all of their knowledge surrounding the business, despite their extensive experience, they had fished all night long and caught... nothing.

As dawn approached, a man (they didn't realize it was Jesus at the time) called out to them fromthe shore, "Friends, have you caught any fish?" "No," they answered. "Throwyour net on the right side of the boat and you will catch some," he replied. When they followed Jesus' instructions, they immediately drew in a catch so large they couldn't even pull in the net!

I like that verse (John 21:6) because it can be understood two different ways. Jesus could have meant the right-handed side of the boat, which may be the more accurate translation,ORhe could havemeant the correct side of the boat.

This second implication suggests that theywere fishing on the wrong side of the boat. Yes, they were still doing thework; putting in the effort, striving for a common goal. BUT they weren't doing it in the right place and therefore weren't seeing any results (not catching any fish).

As Christians, we may find ourselves doing a lot ofwork for the kingdom. We put in lots of effort, exercising extensive knowledge or experience in what we are doing in the church, striving for a common goal. But are we seeing results?Areweworking in the right areas - on "the RIGHT side of the boat"? If we aren't seeing results, perhaps we need to consider Jesus'words.

ConsiderWHEREyou are putting your efforts. Ifwe trust in the Lord's direction we will soon have a "catch" that will be too large to pull in! Remember Jesus said, "Come followme and Iwill make you fishers of men!" (Matthew 4:19)

Tim Pohlman is pastor at the Burlington Church of Christ.