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It’s New Years.

Some feel that ahhhh we made it to 2021 and are hopeful it will be much easier than last year.  The calendars and planners come out and the goals and visions begin to be put down digitally or old school – but there is lots of hope and promise, as we close one chapter and begin another. 

However, how we plan and implement as Christ followers is important. 

John Chapter 21 gives an account of Jesus preparing food for the disciples on the beach.  The men had been out fishing all night and had not caught any fish.  How frustrating that must have been to work all night and have no results for their labor.  As dawn arrived they began to head toward shore.  In the distance they saw a man who called out from the shoreline and told them to cast their nets on the right hand side of the boat.  They responded by casting their nets and John realized that the man was Jesus.

He calls to the disciples and tells them to, “Come and eat breakfast.” Peter jumps in the water and makes a beeline to Jesus as the nets are full of fish. They all scurry to be with their Lord whom they saw crucified at Calvary.  Can you imagine how these Christ followers must have been filled with much hope, when they realized who He was? Then all of the sudden that net full of fish was not as important as it was to be with Jesus.

“We create so much unnecessary hoopla in our own regularly scheduled programming. We plan, we implement, and we work hard and get frustrated when nothing comes of it.  Desperate and empty, we finally look to Jesus as a last resort because we don’t recognize who He is. And sometimes, really, all He’s asking is that we come join Him and take part in what He’s prepared and created.  The rest will come.” – Miriam Drennan.

As we continue to build our relationship with Christ, may we be hopeful, organized and focused on the Lord Jesus Christ.  ”Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

When the disciples cast their nets on the right side they got the results because they were following Christ.  May we have Godly results in every area of our lives as we follow Christ in 2021 and beyond.

Yvette Perrin is a columnist for The Charlotte Gazette. She can be reached at theword2yvette@gmail.com.