Counting Our Fish

So we were reading John 21 the other day, and an interesting question came up. Why did John mention that there were 153 fish? We have to realize that counting that large amount of fish probably took some time. Sometimes, we have to stop, and reflect on the goodness of God in our lives. The disciples were extremely discouraged, Jesus in John 21 uses reminder after reminder to refresh the disciple's failing memory. I figure it was about time to count some of the fish God has so graciously blessed me with.

1	A wise father
2	A loving mother
3	A passionate brother
4	A generous brother
5	A kind-hearted brother
6	An adorable dog
7	A warm home
8	Warm clothing
9	Food to eat
10	Clean water
11	A bed to sleep on
12	Available health care
13	College education
14	Citizenship
15	Money in my pocket
16	Many pairs of shoes
17	Sight
18	Hearing
19	Touch
20	Taste
21	Smell
22	Sleep without fear of being killed
23	More than one car in the garage
24	Two computers
25	Clean clothes
26	Showers
27	Good health
28	Readily available to health care
29	Television
30	The Internet
31	A Driver's License
32	Friends to cherish
33	An Identity
34	Freedom to worship
35	Shoes without holes
36	Socks
37	Waste management
38	Grocery stores
39	Salvation
40	Grace
41	Jesus
42	Unconditional Love
43	Healing
44	The Word
45	Ability to walk
46	Mental capability
47	Literacy
48	Hair
49	Sexual Pleasure
50	Heating
51	Air Conditioning
52	Family
53	More than one Bible
54	A place to sit
55	Pens and paper
56	TI-83
57	A warm coat
58	To openly go to church
59	To proclaim the glory of God
60	Joy
61	Peace
62	Cell Phone
63	Textbooks
64	The warm sunlight
65	The beautiful scenery
66	Professors to teach
67	Carefree children
68	Candy
69	Electronics
70	Underwear
71	Knowing Jesus
72	Being the top 1% wealthiest in the World
73	Meeting International Students
74	Food to waste
75	Drinking water directly from the faucet
76	A EE degree
77	A bus system
78	Dental care
79	Dry cleaners
80	Opportunity
81	Hope
82	My Asian heritage
83	My maleness
84	Intervarsity staff who care
85	A church to go to
86	A campus to minister to
87	Movies to watch
88	The ability to speak
89	Two hospitals with in walking distance
90	More Libraries than one can count
91	Readily available electricity
92	Reliable electricity
93	Time to create this list
94	A stable government
95	A God to lean on when I cannot go on
96	Accountability partners
97	Prayer
98	A Pastor who cares
99	A place to call home
100	A sister-in-law
101	Toys
102	A new backpack
103	Transportation network
104	Sewage system
105	People who clean up our mess
106	People who cook for us
107	People who pray for us
108	Sanctification
109	The time to argue about theology
110	Refrigeration
111	Cold foods cold
112	Hot foods hot
113	Microwave
114	Restaurants to go to
115	The ability to play sports
116	The ability to walk
117	Transformation
118	Life
119	Light during nighttime
120	The right to a fair trial
121	Great roomies
122	Medicine
123	Antibiotics
124	Vaccinations
125	Hair products
126	Being able to talk to people hundreds of miles away
127	A God who is faithful to His word
128	Music to dance to
129	Praise to sing
130	Multiple computer labs
131	Laughter
132	Hugs
133	Flowers to admire
134	Books to read for leisure
135	Beautiful Autumn days
136	Accrediting us with Jesus' righteousness
137	Sleeping in sometimes
138	Workout facilities
139	Homework groups
140	Past Exams
141	Redemption
142	Grass to lay down in
143	Fields to play on
144	Cameras to record memories with
145	Community
146	Fellowship
147	Refinement through struggles
148	Comfort
149	Security
150	Enemies to love
151	Things to surrender
152	Four walls and a roof
153	A purpose for living

After their satisfying meal of grilled fish, Jesus poses a question to Peter. "Do you love me more than these?" ... Do I love God more than any of these 153 things? The answer should be yes, but the response is so much harder. Take time to think about how privileged we are, take a lifetime to give them all up for the sake of Christ.