Shownotes
Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 1259 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
God’s Amazing Grace (Part 3) – Meditation Monday
Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.
Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1259 of our trek, and it is time for Meditation Monday. Taking time to relax, refocus, and reprioritize our lives is crucial in order to create a living legacy.
For you, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection. You may utilize structured meditation practices. In my life, meditation includes reading and reflecting on God’s Word and praying. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and make sure that I am nurturing my soul, mind, and body. As you come along with me on our trek each Meditation Monday, it is my hope and prayer that you, too, will experience a time for reflection and renewing of your mind.
The last two weeks, we took a look inside the Apostle Peter’s roller-coaster life that fluctuated between undying loyalty and complete denial in his commitment as a disciple of Jesus. If you missed the last two Monday’s Day 1249 and Day 1254, you will want to listen to them first and then return to this 3rd of three episodes of Peter’s saga. We will look at part three as we complete our story and learn of Peter’s complete restoration through God’s amazing grace. In our meditation today, let us consider…
God’s Amazing Grace (Part 3)
When we left Peter last week, his mind had gone back to the first time that Jesus met them on the shore after a night of fishing that resulted in not catching anything. That is until Jesus told them to go back into the deep and let down their nets. Now, as Peter was ankle-deep in flopping silver fish, he turns to look at Jesus, only to find that Jesus is looking at him. Those same piercing eyes, laying bare his soul as they did on that night he had denied him three times. Let’s pick the story back up within a few days of Jesus’s miraculous resurrection.
The sun was just beginning to break over the horizon after a night of fishing where once again Peter had not caught a single fish. His mind was fixed on how he had abandoned and denied his Lord. He was devastated, feeling a complete failure and disgrace. The evening before, Peter, being completely disgusted with himself decides that he would return to that which he was comfortable with, fishing. Let us pick up the story in John 21:2-3, “Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples. Simon Peter said, ‘I’m going fishing.’ ‘We’ll come, too,’ they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.”
Think of how Peter and those who were with him felt now. Not only were they failures as disciples, but they also can’t even catch fish anymore. As they were rowing back to shore, with nothing to show for a hard night’s work, they thought that they would have to face the humiliation from the merchants who would have bought their fish. But, Jesus had something completely different in mind for Peter and his friends. Listen as I continue the story from John 21:4-17.
At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?”
“No,” they replied.
Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.
Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore. When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.
“Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.
“Now, come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.
After breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?]”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”
“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.
Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”
“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.
A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.
Three times Peter had denied he knew Jesus. This was the third time that Jesus had appeared to his disciples after the resurrection. Three times Peter had denied Jesus. Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him. Peter’s life would never be the same from this point forward. Jesus’s eyes indeed pierced Peter to his very soul. Jesus had changed Peter from a vacillating denier to a solid rock. A disciple and apostle who became the leader of the church in Jerusalem and introduced salvation to the entire world. There would no longer be Jew and Gentile, but everyone was now welcomed into God’s Kingdom. So no matter if you feel that your life has been a failure for God up to this point. God’s amazing grace will provide you a path back to Him so that you too can be a builder of God’s Kingdom here on earth.
That is a wrap for today’s meditation. Next week, we will continue our trek on Meditation Monday as we take time to reflect on what is most important in creating our living legacy. On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote. This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise each day. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.
If you would like to listen to any of the past 1258 daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player, so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.
Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most of all, your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.
As we take this trek together, let us always:
- Live Abundantly (Fully)
- Love Unconditionally
- Listen Intentionally
- Learn Continuously
- Lend to others Generously
- Lead with Integrity
- Leave a Living Legacy Each Day
I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow!