Open Heavens for Teens 11 Tuesday December 2018 Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye
Topic: Operating on the Right Side
Memorise: Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4
Bible In One Year: Hosea 9-11, Revelation 2
Read: John 21:3-12 (KJV)
3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.
4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.
5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.
6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.
8 And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.
9 As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.
10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.
11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.
12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
Bible in One Year: Daniel 7-8, John 9:35-10:21
MESSAGE:
The story narrated in today’s Bible reading contains some vital lessons for those who desire not to live in failure and frustration. From this story, we discover that our Lord Jesus Christ can choose to be humourous sometimes. Asking a group of frustrated fishermen whether they had food was a dose of humor from the Lord in order to change the gloomy atmosphere of failure that had enveloped the disciples. As a gesture of gratitude for being of great service to me, I once gave a small gift to a young man to pass on to his children at home. Unknown to me, this young man had no child since he got married. The Lord turned the gift into a prophetic tool, because by the time I was visiting that country the following year, the miracle child this young man had been waiting for had come. I decree that God will spice up your life with pleasant humour today in Jesus’ Name. When the Lord asked the disciples whether they had caught anything, He was also teasing them with His question because they were no long supposed to be in the fishing business. You will recall that in Luke 5:10, He had already said to Peter, in the presence of some of these disciples, that from that moment he would be catching men and not fish. Peter and his team failed because they were operating on the wrong side of their destiny.
It would not be out of place to be puzzled by Jesus’ instruction to His disciples in John 21:6 when He said “Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find”. This instruction should not be seen as symbolic, because there was nothing at the other side of the ship. Immediately the disciples cast their net on the right side as instructed, they caught a multitude of fish. Beloved, when you operate on the wrong side of life, you are bound to get nothing out of it. The Lord’s side is the right side of life. He said in John 14:6:
“…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
He is still leading men to the right side of life today through His word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, for you to continually stand on the right side of life, you must be addicted to the study of the Bible and be sure to listen to the Holy Spirit’s voice, guiding and leading you into all truth (John 16:13). However, having experienced the right side of life, it would be disastrous to abandon it for the wrong side of self-will. Jesus committed the work of the ministry to Simeon Peter, but he and his team went fishing instead. What did they get out of their efforts? Nothing! Nevertheless, the compassionate Master went ahead to prepare a delicious breakfast for His errant disciples (John 21:9). There is no form of lack on the Lord’s side. Beloved, I appeal to you to come to the Lord’s side in perfect obedience to His word today, and failure will become alien to you and your generation.
Prayer Point: Father, please bring me to the right side of Your purpose for my life, and cause me to begin to succeed where I have been failing.
Hymn: Trust And Obey
1. When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Chorus:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
2. Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.
3. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.
4. But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
5. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.
MESSAGE:
People often mistake joy for happiness, but these two are very different. Happiness depends on circumstances and situations. If for example you are given a new pair of shoes, or you pass your exams in flying colours you are expected to be happy, and there is nothing wrong with that. However there is something much deeper that happiness and that is joy.
Joy is the deep-rooted gladness that is unstoppable, and not affected by changes in the circumstances and situations around; it can only be given by the Holy Spirit. Joy is a function of faith in God. This means that a deep knowledge of God’s Word will automatically give joy. How much of the Holy Spirit do you carry? How well do you know God? How much of His Word do you have on your inside? Do you have joy? Philippians 4:4 commands us to rejoice at all times no matter the situation, are you capable of doing this?
Prayer Point: Sweet Holy Spirit, please fill my heart with Your joy. Give me the grace to study your Word continuously that I may know you deeply.
Hymn 14: O spread the tidings ’round
1. O spread the tidings ’round,
Wherever man is found,
Wherever human hearts and
Human woes abound.
Let every Christian tongue
Proclaim the joyful sound:
The Comforter has come!
Chorus:
The Comforter has come!
The Comforter has come!
The Holy Ghost from heav’n,
The Father’s Promise giv’n,
O spread the tidings ’round,
Wherever man is found:
The Comforter has come!
2. The long, long night is past;
The morning breaks at last;
And hushed the dreadful wail
And fury of the blast,
As o’er the golden hills
The day advances fast!
The Comforter has come!
3. Lo, the great Kings of Kings,
With healing in His wings,
To every captive soul a full
Deliv’rance brings;
And thro’ the vacant cells
The song of triumph rings;
The Comforter has come!
4. O boundless love divine!
How shall this tongue of mine
To wond’ring mortals tell
The matchless grace divine-
That I, a child of hell,
Should in His image shine?
The Comforter has come!
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