I was sitting on the couch downstairs facing the wood burner this evening working on Sunday’s message, when the changing color of the coals reminded me that I needed to put more wood on the fire.  As I sat back down, a realization occurred.  There is a parallel between the pieces of wood that I just put in the fire and the passage I just read today from John 21.  That connection has to do with unique insignificance becoming wonderfully significant.

Each piece of wood in itself is both unique and insignificant.  They are rather dirty, oddly shaped, and rough enough to easily give your hand a splinter…. not much to look at.  But I have a purpose for each one of them.  And not only do they each contribute to the warmth of my house, each one seems to be able to contribute at just the right time.  Each oddly shaped piece seems to coincide with another oddly shaped piece, both contributing to just the right combination that allows a healthy fire.

Peter (in John 21) had to be reminded of this same truth as it applies to Christ’s followers.  At the end of the book of John, Peter had never before felt so low.  I’m sure that certain scenes from the past few days keep playing over and over in his mind.  His arrogant claim to follow Christ even to death, and his failed attempt at defending Him.  The movement of his own mouth saying, “I don’t know him!” immediately followed by the unbearable look of knowing disappointment in Christ’s eyes as they met his own.   Even though the shock of seeing Christ take His last breath had somewhat dissipated (Christ had thankfully proven His resurrection several times to the disciples by now), Peter’s memory seemed to slip back to the days and hours just before that.  I imagine that every morning at dawn, the rooster’s crow was an agonizing sound to hear.

And there on that lake, just as Peter’s failures played through his mind one more time, the Savior graciously appeared to teach him something that will change him for the rest of his life.  What was this lesson?  I think it can be summed up by this phrase: ”I don’t need to use you … I want to use you!”
This happens through some similarly focused reminders found in verses 9-23.  As soon as the disciples arrive back at the beach, the lesson begins as Christ is cooking breakfast.  Notice what He asks them to do… “Bring some of the fish that you caught and I will cook those too.”  He wasn’t asking them to do this because He realized that the fish He was already cooking wasn’t going to be enough.  His point seems to be the truth that will become the theme of these verses: ”I don’t need to use you … I want to use you!”

​In the verses that follow, Christ narrows His focus specifically to Peter, and the lesson continues.  As Christ engages him in what is now a very familiar dialogue, the point becomes clear.  While Peter seems to be struggling with the possibility of Christ still being able to use him, he is told very pointedly, “I want to use you!”  “Feed my sheep.”  God doesn’t use us because we have earned the privilege, He uses us simply because He delights in using us!

But Christ’s call for Peter to follow Him didn’t just follow Peter’s look back at his own failures, it also follows Peter’s looking around at others.  Peter saw John walking over to them and immediately compared himself to that “disciple whom Jesus loved.”  Christ didn’t waste any time debating which one of these disciples had an edge over the other … He just once again tells Peter, “Follow me.”  Peter had to realize that it didn’t matter what anyone else did or didn’t do, God had chosen him for the greatest privilege man can have: to serve his Savior. 

God hasn’t blessed us with the privilege of serving Him because He needs us, because we earned it, or because we are better than anyone else.  God chooses to use us because He wants to!  We all have painful memories that cycle through our minds from time to time.  We all have feelings of unworthiness … and we should.  We are unworthy!  And that is why it is all the more wonderful that God has said to you and to me, “Follow me!” 

Each of us are both unique and insignificant.  We all have our lists of reasons why we can’t be considered well-suited for ministry.  We all (if we are honest) know that we are insignificant and weak.  Yet, just as those pieces of dirty, splintery, oddly shaped pieces of wood, we have been chosen to be a part of the work of God!  God has a purpose and a place for each one of us to serve Him in a way that is greater than we deserve.  Don’t sideline yourself because you don’t deserve to be used … none of us deserves to be used.  None of us can say “God needs to use me.”  But all of us can say “God wants to use me!”

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. 
(Psalms 1:1-6)

God’s blessing.  Something we look for, pray for, wish for others.  At times we hope for it, and at times we might even expect it.  It is not uncommon for us to recognize God’s blessing once in a while after an extraordinary need has been met …an unexpected bonus, or deliverance from an illness … but our normal recognition of God’s blessing seems to be in regard to singular, temporary advantages.  A thoughtful reading of Psalms 1 will help us to understand that this description of God’s blessing, while at least partially accurate, is definitely not complete.  There is a difference between receiving a blessing and being a blessed man, and this chapter is dealing with more than simply receiving blessings.  I believe this is a distinction worth noting, because “a man who is blessed” is a very different reality than “a man who gets blessed.”  And wouldn’t we all agree that we would rather be a person who God inclusively describes as “blessed,” than a person who receives a blessing now and then? 

The Psalmist attributes two descriptions to the blessed man: fruitfulness and endurance.  Notice that these descriptions aren’t as much about what he has as who he is.  His fruitfulness is described by comparing him to a tree growing on the bank of a river.  Remembering that this description was initially given to a people living in an arid climate, this description suddenly takes on another degree of meaning.  The picture is of a tree flourishing because of the continual presence of life-giving water.  It is not dependent on the occasional blessing of a rain shower… its regular fruitfulness is assured because of its perpetual access to that one essential element.  And this tree is doing more than surviving as a result … it is prospering!

But not only is the blessed man fruitful, he is also said to be enduring.  His leaves don’t wither, he is not blown away, he is able to stand through judgment, he has a place in the people of God, and his way is known and approved of by the Lord.  What a contrast to the alternatives of withering like a dying leaf, being blown away as worthless chaff, falling in judgment, having no place with God’s people, and ultimately perishing!

So now the question remains, “How can I become that blessed man?”  I think it comes down to our answer to this question: “Where are you planted?”  The ungodly (the non-blessed man) has chosen to plant himself alongside the world.  He listens to their counsel, he participates in their way of life, and he joins himself to them.  Now, before you are too hard on this man, remember that this is the popular way.  Most people (even most Christians) will go along with this.  They listen to the world’s counsel, they act like the world, and are concerned about fitting in with those around them … and many often do that quite well.

In contrast, blessed is the man who has planted himself alongside the river of the Word of God.  This is what he delights in … it is his joy to learn and obey.  He doesn’t just occasionally read it, he consistently meditates on it.  He sees it as the most important aspect of his life, so much so that he finds himself thinking about it hour by hour.  As he continues to draw nourishment from God’s Word, he finds himself needing the world’s counsel less and less.  And as he loves and lives God’s Word, he finds himself producing fruit that he didn’t know was possible!  Even when the world around him is screaming for his attention, he is perfectly content to remain in the congregation of the righteous, knowing “God knows my way.”

There is a way to not only hope for, but expect God’s blessing: consistently allow the Word of God to saturate your mind and penetrate your heart.  It is only then that you will be able to find fruitfulness and endurance.  It is only then that you will truly find God’s blessing.