Have you ever tried to learn something or do something that it just became so hard that you gave up?
Lot’s of people do give up. From my research the high school dropout percentage in the United States is around 5%. While the college dropout rate in the United States is around 32.9% annually.
Why so much in college? Well there are many reasons that are not the focus here. The fact of the matter is they quit and they don’t get their diploma. They never graduate to the next level of learning.
The Disciples ran into a similar situation.
John 21:3 KJV 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.
We find the Disciples after Jesus has been crucified, resurrected and had already visited them. Yet here they are fishing. Now there’s nothing wrong with fishing, but I don’t think they were just fishing. You see many of them were fishermen beforehand. They had been called from that to be fishers of men. They had walked with Jesus and learned from Him. They had performed miracles, signs and wonders. They had cast out devils. They though were in a learning stage to graduate to a new level. Instead of being out spreading the Word about Jesus they went back to what they knew to do before they met Jesus. Jesus in His grace met them there in the same manner as He did when He first called them.
John 21:4-7 KJV 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…
He met them at their failure and lifted them back up. This is where we find the discourse between Jesus and Peter. There are many takeaways from this story, but I want to make this point. Jesus was telling Peter what he should have been doing. He should have been tending to the flock. He should have at least been doing what he had already been taught and not fell back to the original position.
We too will go through times where God is calling us to a new level in Him. Sometimes the waiting is long and yes sometimes it’s hard. Don’t give up in the waiting. Keep moving forward and not backwards. Know that if you begin to drift and not move with purpose that you won’t reach the goal. Press on so that you may graduate to the next level in God.
Philippians 3:13-14 KJV 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.