Easter 2025 - Day 3: Bearing Resurrection Ready Fruit

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide... Jn 15:16
 
A fruitful life is a life well used. A long time ago I knew a man named Joe who worked hard to provide for his family. He believed that he had a fruitful life- until he came to know Christ. And it wasn’t that he left his vocation, he just understood that a fruitful life involves more important things.
 
Peter was there and he heard his Lord say that He chose you (believers) to go and bear lasting fruit. And yet by all outside estimations, his life was nearly wasted. You remember… Peter was so sure that he would go and bear fruit that he made an oath, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” Mk 14:29 (let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 1Co 10:12). It was that very night that Peter had his big opportunity to put his money where his mouth was. Jesus was arrested and was hurried off to a midnight makeshift court proceeding at the home of the High priest. Peter followed then watched from a distance while comforting himself by the courtyard fire. It was there, in the flashing light of the flames, Peter was recognized. “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus,” came the accusation of a servant girl. (Mk 14:67). But Peter denied it. Three times similar accusations came and three times, with more passion each time, he denied knowing his Lord. That’s when the rooster crowed a second time and Peter remembered how he had been so sure that he could never do such a thing as this. Jesus had warned him, before the rooster crows a second time you will deny me three times. (Mk 14:72). Peter wept.

He was sure this life of serving Jesus Christ was over. Where could he go from here except back from where he had come… Back to fishing… (Jn 21:3). Back to something he could do right. Those next days were miserable for Peter. They had to be. Oh how he must have grieved for his sin, his choice, his hard heart. And so it was one day when Peter had gone back to fishing that the resurrected Jesus showed up. Now, to be fair, fishing wasn’t going very well either. How peculiar, it's as if God is sovereign over everything and nothing is going to work until he quits trying to escape and does the right thing (sarcasm intended). Jesus confronted Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” (Jn 21:15). The Lord presented the same question three times, and you guessed it, each time more passionately. Each time, Peter insisting that he does indeed love Jesus, and each time Jesus replied with some variation of, "feed my lambs." (Jn 21:15). As if to say, if you love me, get back to what I called you to do. Get back to the main thing, bearing fruit that will last.
 
Well… there is a lot to learn there. First we ought to understand that we can really mess up and that can derail us and dethrone us. I would venture to say that Peter was a far better man than I am and certainly better trained. Denying Jesus under certain pressures is a common temptation as well as a common failure with many variations in our lives and experience (1Co 10:13). But here is the beauty of it all. We did not choose Him, He chose us and He chose us to go and bear lasting fruit. And that makes you fail-proof. This is God's plan, not yours. Like Peter, you will fail but know this; He chose you to go and bear fruit that will last. You are not done and He is not done with you. Do you love Him? Then go in grace and serve Him. Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes (Lk 12:43). That's Resurrection Ready.