Psalm 8:1

Good morning, Chief Shepherd.

My Shepherd met me in His green pastures, contemplating His post-resurrection instructions given in Luke 24. The Mind of the Spirit engaged the spirit of my mind in Luke 24:41, in His question: “Have ye here any meat?”

Luke 24:41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?

Jesus appeared again, a little over a week later, to seven of His disciples on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, near Capernaum (John 21:1-23). He asked them, “Children, have ye any meat” (John 21:5). 

About 3 years before His crucifixion, Jesus declared to His disciples: “I have meat to eat that ye know not of” (John 4:32).

On the banks of Still Waters Pool, I walked with my Shepherd and considered the meat He asked for, the meat He asked if they had eaten, and the meat He said He had, but they knew nothing of.

When Christ appeared to His disciples on the evening of the first day of the week after His resurrection, they thought they saw a ghost. To prove to them that He stood before them in His resurrected body, that it was a physical body of flesh and bone, He asked them for meat (food). He ate it before them to show them He had physically risen from the dead (Luke 24:38-43). Thomas was not present at this meeting.

A week later, Jesus appeared again to the assembled disciples. This time, Thomas was present and seeing, he believed. He had instructed them to meet Him in Galilee, and they finally obeyed. It’s about a 4-5 day walking trip from Jerusalem to Capernaum, so I suppose the disciples left that Monday morning and arrived on Thursday or Friday. Peter decided to go fishing, and the others followed. They fished all night, and in the morning, Jesus appeared on the shore and called out to them, “Children, have ye any meat?” (John 21:5). They answered, “No.” Jesus instructed them to cast the net on the “right side of the ship, and ye shall find” (John 21:6a). They did and caught so many they could not draw the net from the water (John 21:6b). Up to now, they did not recognize that it was Jesus. John said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” Peter grabbed his coat and jumped into the water to swim and wade ashore to Jesus (John 21:7). The others rowed the boat to shore, dragging the “net with fishes” (John 21:8). Jesus had a fire started. When they all gathered to Him, He said, “Bring of the fish which ye have now caught” (John 2:10). Peter went alone, took up the net, and dragged it out of the water and to the fireside (John 21:11). Jesus said, “Come and dine” (John 21:12). (If they arrived Friday, and went fishing that night, this occurred Saturday morning. There is a sense that the disciples were anticipating the Lord to appear and that Peter became impatient (not negatively) and decided to go fishing. Maybe they waited until Sundown, Saturday, to go fishing, and so this meeting was on the morning following—Sunday am.)

“Have ye any meat” to prove He rose physically from the dead, and “have ye any meat” to prove their need of Him to be effective “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). For three years before, Jesus had said to His disciples, “I have meat to eat that ye know not of” (John 4:32) and shortly thereafter said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).

In the valley, in the shadow of His Cross, I knelt. His Spirit spake to me, “Have ye any meat?” I said, Yes. And I looked at my net and said, “Well, I have a few fish.” He said, “Cast your net at my direction, and ye shall find.” I vowed to obey. He said, Here is the key: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). I said, I see! And I took up my cross to follow Him. Selah!

At the table, I sought His counsel on how to become more effective. I asked for the wisdom that would make me a more productive soul winner (Proverbs 11:30—“He that winneth souls is wise”). The Spirit directed my thoughts to James 1:5-7:

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

James 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

James 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

He anointed my head with His oil and filled my cup with His grace. Goodness and mercy smiled as they accompanied us into the Harvest to labor together with Him (1 Corinthians 3:9).

Let this question challenge you: “Children, have ye any meat?”

Praying for revival! 🙏

Going live as soon as I can set up the livestream.

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