Small Things Count

READ: JOHN 21:1-14

Cooking is an important part of the kingdom of God. Don’t believe me? Jesus Himself used cooking in His ministry.

After Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, He appeared several times to His followers. But one particular appearance involved a fishy breakfast.

The night before it happened, some of Jesus’s disciples went fishing but caught nothing all night. Then, as morning broke, Jesus called from the shore and told them to throw out their nets on the other side of the boat. When they did, the net became so full of fish they couldn’t pull it into the boat—Jesus had done a miracle! And when the tired, hungry Jesus-followers reached shore, Jesus cooked a delicious breakfast of fish for them over an open fire.

But why do you think Jesus bothered to cook? Why didn’t He just do another miracle and make cooked food suddenly appear? It might have been because He wanted them to see that He had risen from the dead. Eating is an essential part of living, and He cooked and ate a meal with His disciples to show them who He is and that He cared for them.

So, when we think about all the times Jesus commands us to love others as He loves us (John 13:12-15, 34; 15:10-13), we can remember how He cooked breakfast for His disciples. As Christians, we can share God’s love with others by taking care of them—even in small ways. Cooking is just one of the tangible ways we can show the love of Jesus, remembering that “we love each other because he loved us first” (1 John 4:19). • A. W. Smith

• Can you think of any small ways other Christians have shown Jesus’s love to you?

• Can you think of any small ways you could help someone and care for their tangible needs today? Consider taking a moment to ask God to help you notice opportunities to share His love as you go about your day.

“Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said…Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. John 21:12-13 (NLT)