Fishers of Men

Our Lord said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." It is evident, then, that a true disciple is a soul-winner. It is possible to sit on the shore discussing the signs of the times when we ought to be driven by the signs of the times to launch out into the deep and let down our nets for a draught. Vance Havner

I love to fish.  There is something about fishing that relaxes me.  Maybe it is the sitting still or as when I was a kid with my Grandpa, watching and waiting for the cork to bob up and down.  As soon as the cork goes under the fight is on.  The bait I used made a difference in what kind of fish I caught or if I caught anything at all.  The majority of the time we fished with worms or minnows and sometimes crickets, although I hated fishing with crickets because you had to stick your hand in the container that was crawling with crickets.  I didn’t like crickets crawling on my hands.  Now that I look back on it, the crickets probably didn’t appreciate me sticking my hand in there either.  Then there is the whole cork thing.  With cane pole and worm fishing you have to guess how deep the water is so that you set your cork just right.  Otherwise if your hook with the worm sits on the bottom of the lake you probably won’t catch anything.

My husband loves to fish too but his fishing is quite a bit different than mine.  He is a bass fisherman.  It’s all in the wrist.  You throw out a lure with no cork and you start reeling in slowly jerking a little every once in a while to catch a fishes’ attention.  Jerry’s way of fishing is a lot more complicated.  You are using a fake lure to entice the fish to take the fake bait. Some of the lures are elaborate with feathers and shiny silver with pretty colors and some will have dots painted on them.  The more your lure looks like something good to eat the better your chances are of catching a big one or as Jerry tells it a Lunker.  For those of you who are not fisherman, a lunker is an extremely large game fish and in most cases a record setting game fish.  

Just as there are different ways to catch fish there are different ways to be fishers of men.  God created each person with talents that are to be used to search out lost souls.  Your technique may be different from mine, but we are all called to be fishers of men. It is just as important to use the right tools because this fishing expedition will be the most important trip of a person’s life.  Eternity.  I love the story about Jesus telling Simon Peter to cast out his nets.  We need to prepare for the fishing trip of a lifetime.  How we prepare will make the difference in what we catch.  Will our nets be full or empty?  

        

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, You call each of us to be fishers of men.  If I don’t study Your word in preparation for my fishing trip, my nets will come up empty.  How I prepare for what could be the most important conversation in someone else’s life can make the difference in saving a life or losing one.  Help me to be prepared and trust in You to fill my net.      

Scripture:  Four Fishermen Called as Disciples

So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.   Luke 5:1-11