Read Time 2 Minutes
There is a quote that I particularly like in my favorite children’s book by C.S. Lewis where Mr. and Mrs. Beaver are sitting down to a meal with the four children. Mr. Beaver and the boys had just caught fresh fish and the line goes like this… “All the children thought—and it is a common opinion—that there’s nothing to beat good freshwater fish if eaten when it has been alive half an hour ago and has come out of the pan half a minute ago.”
I know a little something about that mouth-watering taste, as I caught a rainbow trout at 8 years old while staying with a great aunt and uncle in Cody, Wyoming. We pan cooked that fish for breakfast and had fresh sliced tomatoes on the side. It is a special memory I have always remembered.
This morning, that memory came back to me as I was reading a favorite Bible passage in John 21. Jesus had risen after His crucifixion and had begun making appearances to some of his disciples. In this particular encounter, some of His disciples were fishing and had not caught anything all night long. In the morning Jesus was standing on the shore with a coal fire and bread. He instructed them to throw their net down on the right side, and of course, they caught an enormous catch. They knew immediately that it was Jesus! Peter jumped in the water and swam in excitement towards shore and towards Jesus. Jesus cooked some of their fresh fish and the bread over the open fire and fed them!
Can you imagine Jesus cooking over an open fire for you? I picture a nice crusty piece of artisan bread with some olive oil for dipping and the taste of fresh fish like that fish I caught at 8 years old. The fish that Jesus would be serving would be so much better than that experience though because Jesus Himself would be serving it to me!
While we may not get to have that kind of physical encounter with Jesus today, I realized this morning that our spiritual encounter each morning can be just as dynamic and fulfilling! Every morning when we wake up, Jesus is there. He is there with His new mercies, He is there with provisions for the day, He is there to meet all our needs, and He is there to walk and talk with us! Our night before or day before might have been a difficult one just like the disciples had worked all night and not caught fish. But every morning, Jesus is there to meet us, feed us, and begin a fresh start!
“And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” John 6:35
We can meet Jesus every morning for breakfast and feast with Him on His word and through prayer. He will be there to feed us if we just jump in that water and swim to Him!
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23