Every word you give me is a miracle word— how could I help but obey? Break open your words, let the light shine out, let ordinary people see the meaning. Mouth open and panting, I wanted your commands more than anything. Turn my way, look kindly on me, as you always do to those who personally love you. Steady my steps with your Word of promise so nothing malign gets the better of me. Rescue me from the grip of bad men and women so I can live life your way. Smile on me, your servant; teach me the right way to live. I cry rivers of tears because nobody’s living by your book!

As you may have noticed this is a new attempt at starting up a freelance software development company. I had previously shutdown the site due to very little traffic on the site and potential financial difficulties with some of my free services causing high monthly expenses. In fact, no customers had downloaded any code or used any of the free services available on the main site. After a while of the site being taken down, I was reminded of this story about Jesus telling his disciples to try again after a long night's failed fishing. This reminder encouraged me to try again.

It is my hope that someone else may also be encouraged to try again!


Later, Jesus appeared once again to a group of his disciples by Lake Galilee. It happened one day while Peter, Thomas (the Twin), Nathanael (from Cana in Galilee), Jacob, John, and two other disciples were all together. Peter told them, “I’m going fishing.” And they all replied, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and fished through the night, but caught nothing.

Then at dawn, Jesus was standing there on the shore, but the disciples didn’t realize that it was him! He called out to them, saying, “Hey guys! Did you catch any fish?”

“Not a thing,” they replied.

Jesus shouted to them, “Throw your net over the starboard side, and you’ll catch some!”

And so they did as he said, and they caught so many fish they couldn’t even pull in the net!
Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!”

When Peter heard him say that, he quickly wrapped his outer garment around him, and because he was athletic, he dove right into the lake to go to Jesus! The other disciples then brought the boat to shore, dragging their catch of fish. They weren’t far from land, only about a hundred meters. And when they got to shore, they noticed a charcoal fire with some roasted fish and bread.

Then Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”

So Peter waded into the water and helped pull the net to shore. It was full of many large fish, exactly one hundred and fifty-three, but even with so many fish, the net was not torn.

“Come, let’s have some breakfast,” Jesus said to them. And not one of the disciples needed to ask who it was, because every one of them knew it was the Lord. Then Jesus came close to them and served them the bread and the fish. This was the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection.

Brian Simmons, trans., The Passion Translation (BroadStreet Publishing, 2017), Jn 21:1–14.

Dear friends, this is the second letter I’m writing to you. In both letters I’m trying to refresh your memory.  I want you to remember the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and what the Lord and Savior commanded you through your apostles.  First, you must understand this: In the last days people who follow their own desires will appear. These disrespectful people will ridicule [God’s promise]  by saying, “What’s happened to his promise to return? Ever since our ancestors died, everything continues as it did from the beginning of the world.”  They are deliberately ignoring one fact: Because of God’s word, heaven and earth existed a long time ago. The earth [appeared] out of water and was kept alive by water.  Water also flooded and destroyed that world.  By God’s word, the present heaven and earth are designated to be burned. They are being kept until the day ungodly people will be judged and destroyed.  Dear friends, don’t ignore this fact: One day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.  The Lord isn’t slow to do what he promised, as some people think. Rather, he is patient for your sake. He doesn’t want to destroy anyone but wants all people to have an opportunity to turn to him and change the way they think and act.  The day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day heaven will pass away with a roaring sound. Everything that makes up the universe will burn and be destroyed. The earth and everything that people have done on it will be exposed.  All these things will be destroyed in this way. So think of the kind of holy and godly lives you must live as you look forward to the day of God and eagerly wait for it to come. When that day comes, heaven will be on fire and will be destroyed. Everything that makes up the universe will burn and melt. But we look forward to what God has promised—a new heaven and a new earth—a place where everything that has God’s approval lives. Therefore, dear friends, with this to look forward to, make every effort to have him find you at peace, without [spiritual] stains or blemishes.  Think of our Lord’s patience as an opportunity [for us] to be saved. This is what our dear brother Paul wrote to you about, using the wisdom God gave him. He talks about this subject in all his letters. Some things in his letters are hard to understand. Ignorant people and people who aren’t sure of what they believe distort what Paul says in his letters the same way they distort the rest of the Scriptures. These people will be destroyed. Dear friends, you already know these things. So be on your guard not to be carried away by the deception of people who have no principles. Then you won’t fall from your firm position. But grow in the good will and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory belongs to him now and for that eternal day! Amen.

GOD’S WORD Translation. (1995). (2 Pe 3:1–18). Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish council. He came to Jesus one night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that God has sent you as a teacher. No one can perform the miracles you perform unless God is with him.” Jesus replied to Nicodemus, “I can guarantee this truth: No one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus asked him, “How can anyone be born when he’s an old man? He can’t go back inside his mother a second time to be born, can he?” Jesus answered Nicodemus, “I can guarantee this truth: No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Flesh and blood give birth to flesh and blood, but the Spirit gives birth to things that are spiritual. Don’t be surprised when I tell you that all of you must be born from above. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you don’t know where the wind comes from or where it’s going. That’s the way it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus replied, “How can that be?” Jesus told Nicodemus, “You’re a well-known teacher of Israel. Can’t you understand this? I can guarantee this truth: We know what we’re talking about, and we confirm what we’ve seen. Yet, you don’t accept our message. If you don’t believe me when I tell you about things on earth, how will you believe me when I tell you about things in heaven? No one has gone to heaven except the Son of Man, who came from heaven. “As Moses lifted up the snake [on a pole] in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up. Then everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.” God loved the world this way: He gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save the world. Those who believe in him won’t be condemned. But those who don’t believe are already condemned because they don’t believe in God’s only Son. This is why people are condemned: The light came into the world. Yet, people loved the dark rather than the light because their actions were evil. People who do what is wrong hate the light and don’t come to the light. They don’t want their actions to be exposed. But people who do what is true come to the light so that the things they do for God may be clearly seen.

GOD’S WORD Translation. (1995). (Jn 3:1–21). Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group.

Romans 1:18–32 (GW)

God’s Anger Against Sinful Humanity

God’s anger is revealed from heaven against every ungodly and immoral thing people do as they try to suppress the truth by their immoral living. What can be known about God is clear to them because he has made it clear to them. From the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly observed in what he made. As a result, people have no excuse. They knew God but did not praise and thank him for being God. Instead, their thoughts were total nonsense, and their misguided minds were plunged into darkness.  While claiming to be wise, they became fools.  They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for statues that looked like mortal humans, birds, animals, and snakes. For this reason God allowed their lusts to control them. As a result, they dishonor their bodies by sexual perversion with each other.  These people have exchanged God’s truth for a lie. So they have become ungodly and serve what is created rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen! For this reason God allowed their shameful passions to control them. Their women have exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. Likewise, their men have given up natural sexual relations with women and burn with lust for each other. Men commit indecent acts with men, so they experience among themselves the punishment they deserve for their perversion. And because they thought it was worthless to acknowledge God, God allowed their own immoral minds to control them. So they do these indecent things. Their lives are filled with of all kinds of sexual sins, wickedness, and greed. They are mean. They are filled with envy, murder, quarreling, deceit, and viciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, haughty, arrogant, and boastful. They think up new ways to be cruel. They don’t obey their parents, don’t have any sense, don’t keep promises, and don’t show love to their own families or mercy to others.  Although they know God’s judgment that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do these things but also approve of others who do them.

Later in Romans we have the solution!

We Have God’s Approval Because of Faith

What can we say that we have discovered about our ancestor Abraham?  If Abraham had God’s approval because of something he did, he would have had a reason to brag. But he could not brag to God about it.  What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and that faith was regarded by God to be his approval of Abraham.”  When people work, their pay is not regarded as a gift but something they have earned.  However, when people don’t work but believe God, the one who approves ungodly people, their faith is regarded as God’s approval.  David says the same thing when he speaks this blessing: God approves of a person without that person’s earning it. David said,

            “Blessed are those whose disobedience is forgiven
       and whose sins are pardoned.
            Blessed is the person whom the Lord never considers sinful.”

 Are only the circumcised people blessed, or are uncircumcised people blessed as well? We say, “Abraham’s faith was regarded as God’s approval of him.”  How was his faith regarded as God’s approval? Was he circumcised or was he uncircumcised at that time? He had not been circumcised.  Abraham’s faith was regarded as God’s approval while he was still uncircumcised. The mark of circumcision is the seal of that approval. Therefore, he is the father of every believer who is not circumcised, and their faith, too, is regarded as God’s approval of them.  He is also the father of those who not only are circumcised but also are following in the footsteps of his faith. Our father Abraham had that faith before he was circumcised.  So it was not by obeying Moses’ Teachings that Abraham or his descendants received the promise that he would inherit the world. Rather, it was through God’s approval of his faith.  If those who obey Moses’ Teachings are the heirs, then faith is useless and the promise is worthless.  The laws in Moses’ Teachings bring about anger. But where laws don’t exist, they can’t be broken.  Therefore, the promise is based on faith so that it can be a gift. Consequently, the promise is guaranteed for every descendant, not only for those who are descendants by obeying Moses’ Teachings but also for those who are descendants by believing as Abraham did. He is the father of all of us,  as Scripture says: “I have made you a father of many nations.” Abraham believed when he stood in the presence of the God who gives life to dead people and calls into existence nations that don’t even exist.  When there was nothing left to hope for, Abraham still hoped and believed. As a result, he became a father of many nations, as he had been told: “That is how many descendants you will have.”  Abraham didn’t weaken. Through faith he regarded the facts: His body was already as good as dead now that he was about a hundred years old, and Sarah was unable to have children.  He didn’t doubt God’s promise out of a lack of faith. Instead, giving honor to God [for the promise], he became strong because of faith  and was absolutely confident that God would do what he promised.  That is why his faith was regarded as God’s approval of him.  But the words “his faith was regarded as God’s approval of him” were written not only for him  but also for us. Our faith will be regarded as God’s approval of us who believe in the one who brought Jesus, our Lord, back to life.  Jesus, our Lord, was handed over to death because of our failures and was brought back to life so that we could receive God’s approval.

We Are at Peace With God Because of Jesus

Now that we have God’s approval because of faith, we have peace with God because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done. Through Christ we can approach God and stand in his favor. So we brag because of our confidence that we will receive glory from God. But that’s not all. We also brag when we are suffering. We know that suffering creates endurance,  endurance creates character, and character creates confidence.  We’re not ashamed to have this confidence, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.  Look at it this way: At the right time, while we were still helpless, Christ died for ungodly people.  Finding someone who would die for a godly person is rare. Maybe someone would have the courage to die for a good person.  Christ died for us while we were still sinners. This demonstrates God’s love for us.  Since Christ’s blood has now given us God’s approval, we are even more certain that Christ will save us from God’s anger.  If the death of his Son restored our relationship with God while we were still his enemies, we are even more certain that, because of this restored relationship, the life his Son lived will save us.  In addition, our Lord Jesus Christ lets us continue to brag about God. After all, it is through Christ that we now have this restored relationship with God.

GOD’S WORD Translation. (1995). (Ro 4:1-25 & Ro 5:1–11). Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group.