"Let's Go Fishing!"
If I had a dollar for every time my Dad said this... I probably wouldn't need to be in the fish farm business in the first place. But can I be honest? Every time I pick up a fish net... I think about Peter and Andrew... two brothers who were the first to drop their nets and follow Jesus. (Matthew 4:18-20) I think about two other brothers, James and John, who were in the process of mending their nets (which we also had to do this week) when Jesus said, "Come"... and they did. Immediately. (Matthew 4:21-22) I think about the miraculous catches that are mentioned in the New Testament and the multiplication of 5 loaves and 2 fish that fed a multitude of people. I think about how tiring it is to pull the net and catch nothing... only to be told to pull it again with the faith that what we need will be there next time. (John 21:6). And I think about how Jesus says we aren't fishing for fish anymore... we are fishing for men. (Mark 1:17) This makes me think a different thought.... Fishing for men can get messy. It might mean you have to meet them in the muddy parts of their lives... the places where they find themselves and need you to show them Who can help them wade their way out. Fishing for men means you might have to leave your comfortable places and swim out to where they are... in deep waters where, without His help, you both might go under. Fishing for men might mean you catch some bad fish but just remember... sorting them out isn't your job. It's His. (Matthew 13:47-50). Fishing for men is risky. You might share with others the Good News only watch them swim away... and that's hard. But mostly, when I'm fishing like I do... with nets and all... I feel like I'm with Him. In many ways... picking back up the fish net was what He was asking me to do when He said "Follow Me." It meant I had to drop some of the things I thought I wanted... let go of the things I thought defined me. Dropping my proverbial net meant taking hold of the literal one for the sake of following Him. And now, every time I see a fish net, I hear my Father say... Let's Go Fishing!
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