1, 2. After spending a night fishing, what experience did Peter have?

SEVEN of Jesus’ disciples had just spent the entire night fishing in the Sea of Galilee but had not caught anything. From the beach, the resurrected Jesus observed the group. Then he said to them: “‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’ So they cast it, but they were not able to haul it in because of the large number of fish.”​—John 21:1-6.

² After serving them breakfast, Jesus turned to Simon Peter and said: “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” To what was Jesus referring? Peter was quite attached to fishing. So it seems that Jesus was asking him where his true affection lay. Did he have greater affection for the fish and the fishing business than for Jesus and the things that he taught? In answer, Peter said: “Yes, Lord, you know I have affection for you.” (John 21:15) Peter certainly lived up to his word. From that point forward, he proved his love for Christ by busying himself in the disciple-making work, becoming a pillar in the first-century Christian congregation.

3. To what dangers do Christians need to be alert?

³ What can we learn from the words that Jesus spoke to Peter? We need to be careful not to allow our love for Christ to weaken and let ourselves be distracted from Kingdom interests. Jesus was keenly aware of the pressures associated with the anxieties of this system of things. In his illustration of the sower, Jesus said that some would accept “the word of the Kingdom” and make initial progress but that “the anxiety of this system of things and the deceptive power of riches” would “choke the word.” (Matt. 13:19-22; Mark 4:19) Indeed, if we are not careful, the everyday concerns of life could entice our heart and cause us to slow down spiritually. Thus, Jesus warned his disciples: “Pay attention to yourselves that your hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life.”​—Luke 21:34.

4. What will help us to examine the depth of our love for Christ? (See opening picture.)

⁴ Just as Peter did after his experience with the resurrected Jesus, we prove the depth of our love for Christ by putting the work he has given us to do in first place. How can we make sure that we continue to do so? From time to time, we need to ask ourselves: ‘Where does my true affection lie? Does most of my joy come from engaging in mundane activities or in spiritual activities?’ In this regard, let us consider three areas of life that if not kept in their proper place could weaken our love for the Christ and for spiritual things​—secular work, recreation, and material things.

18. What are you determined to do?

¹⁸ When Jesus asked Peter: “Do you love me more than these?” he was reminding Peter of the need to put spiritual things first in his life. Peter, whose name means “A Piece of Rock,” indeed lived up to his name, for he displayed rocklike qualities. (Acts 4:5-20) We today are likewise determined to remain steadfast in our love for Christ, keeping secular work, recreation, and material things in their proper place. May our choices in life reflect that we share the sentiments of Peter, who told Jesus: “Lord, you know I have affection for you.”