December 16, 2023
Enjoying The Simple Things
“So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.’”
John 21:9-10 (NASB)
It seems a lifetime ago as I age that as a child we used to go tent camping. We did it all the way. No camp stove. It was all on an open fire. We slept on the ground in a tent (without the fancy air mattresses of today). We primitive camped. But the highlight of family camping was when my mom broke open the little, small bowls with our favorite cereal. If you are a little older, you might remember Corn Pops and other packaged cereals in sealed bowls. When we poured milk into the bowl, heaven seemed to come down as we took our first bites. Life was good. After mom took care of us she began dad’s breakfast with bacon and eggs. She carefully laid the bread on the edge of the fire to toast them. Otherwise, they would fall into the fire and become more than well-done. I can still smell that bacon cooking. On some days Dad, my sister, and I went fishing. Later, Dad cleaned them and put them on the open fire. They didn’t take long to cook, and they had a taste like nothing else you can cook inside. The U. S. Army also gave me a wake-up call to roughing it in the snowy winter (with six inches of snow) while in Grafenwoehr Germany. We didn't have the luxury of a fire. We still slept on the ground too within six inches of your tent buddy. You prayed for him to have good breath. Our meals consisted of cold Army Sea Rations which were from the Vietnam War. Sometimes, we could put our cans on engine manifolds to heat our meals. Life was also good then. It is the simple things in life!
“So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread.” There is nothing like a fire pit with the smell of hot food cooking that permeates the air. Campfire food is awesome. It seems like food tastes better when it's prepared outdoors. Maybe it is because we are so hungry by the time the food is ready (as it takes a little while to cook on an open fire), that makes it taste amazing. In this case, Jesus already had started the fire, and He had already laid fish and bread on the fire. When Peter got onto the shore, covered in water and dripping wet, he probably had a flashback to the last time he stood near a charcoal fire: “Now the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were warming themselves; and Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself… Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, ‘You are not also one of His disciples, are you?’ He denied it, and said, ‘I am not.’” (John 18:18, 25). When he saw the fish on the fire with the bread, he probably had another flashback. Peter probably recalled when Jesus invited the disciples to the feeding of the 5000 (John 6:1-14). But there is something bigger here that we need to see. Jesus didn’t ask the disciples to sit and allow them to feast on a limited amount while He served them. He said, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.” He wanted them to enjoy the bounty of the abundance. They had to prepare the new fish for cooking. This took engagement on their part. We all have work too…
Today, God has supplied all of our needs in Christ Jesus. He begins the work by setting the table for what is about to happen, but we have to take the initiative to “do” something as well. We are not to sit back and take advantage of all the blessings God gave us. We need to engage ourselves in the work of the Gospel of Christ. God has already set the table. Now we must engage ourselves and exert some effort so we can see His work carried through.