John 21:4–8

But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?”

They answered Him, “No.”

And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.

Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish.

Don’t you just love Peter’s craziness? They can get to shore quickly enough, but he has to jump overboard. He may have beat the others to the shore but not by much.

There’s a scene in the movie Forrest Gump that mirrors this so closely that I suspect it’s intentional. Forrest is out shrimping and spies Lieutenant Dan on the dock. He leaps overboard and swims to him, leaving his boat running on its own.

A few minutes later the boat slams into a pier. Forrest sees it and instead of reacting in horror, just says, “Muh boat.”

This scene has the same silly feel—except that Peter puts on his coat before jumping overboard.

No clue about that one.

Peter’s heart for his Lord is what makes him Peter—the rock on which Jesus built His church. There’s a great lesson in that.

Be yourself.

But that implies something deep, even challenging.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. — Romans 12:2

The word “transformed” here is often underappreciated. It means to be changed so deeply that you act differently even when being yourself. Self-control isn’t enough; you must really be changed.

Two things to note here: first, this doesn’t happen quickly. Second, it’s the purview of the Holy Spirit. To be changed at this level, you must ask the Lord to change you.

No other prayer is as foundational to life in Christ.

These Monday—Friday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. The Saturday DEEPs are written by Matt Richardson. To subscribe to all the DEEPs click here:

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The weekly study guides, which include the Monday–Friday devotionals plus related questions for discussion or meditation, are available for download here:

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.