Fishing Fundamentals
25/07/10 09:18
“Let’s
go fishing.” Jesus said this to His disciples
two thousand years ago and says it today –to
us. He doesn’t want us to head toward the
nearest lake or pond, but to the highways and by-ways
of our lives. He doesn’t want us to fish for
fish -but for men. Well anyway, I was thinking about
all the neat stuff out there that fishermen could buy
so they can catch fish. I saw a couple of guys in a
SUV pulling this really expensive bass boat. I
wondered how much that guy paid for that thing,
“Just to catch fish!”
I began to wonder how much money I spend on pleasures. You know, we find something that is important to us, or maybe it’s just a hobby, or something we enjoy doing, but it takes money. Do we need the best and latest equipment? How much time do we spend involved in this hobby? Have you ever thought about your “dream life” and found the dream included your hobby? For me, I would be a chaplain on a golf course somewhere. (In my dream life every golf course would have a chaplain.) And of course, I would get to golf for free –because I was the club’s chaplain.
If you have done any fishing what so ever, I think you know some of the basic fundamentals of the sport. Like for instance, you have to bait the hook! Worms are traditional and pretty much the bait of choice, but believe me, there are hundreds of different kinds of baits and lures that are used to bring the “big one” to your stringer. These baits and lures are used to attract the fish so that the hook seems more appealing.
What do you think fishermen would think of the guy who just threw a hook into the water without using a lure? They would think, “Man, you’re wasting your time.” Or, “This guy doesn’t know what he’s doing.” Do you see what’s coming? Yeah, I thought you did… . Jesus said to Peter, “Follow Me, and I’ll will make you fishers of men.” This means that we’re the hook and the bait! (Remember, the bait always dies! Jesus puts our lives into the sea of humanity and through us and the Holy Spirit, we catch other men and women for the Kingdom.
Are you an empty hook? Does your life attract others? Do you lift up Jesus in your life so that your Christianity is something that others want? These are important questions to answer today because they will be asked of us later. Jesus let’s the decision to follow Him be ours, but once we decide, He expects full devotion and loyalty to Him. This is what makes Christianity, in general, and our lives, in particular, attractive to others. This is how God fishes for men!
God bless and have a wonderful week!
I began to wonder how much money I spend on pleasures. You know, we find something that is important to us, or maybe it’s just a hobby, or something we enjoy doing, but it takes money. Do we need the best and latest equipment? How much time do we spend involved in this hobby? Have you ever thought about your “dream life” and found the dream included your hobby? For me, I would be a chaplain on a golf course somewhere. (In my dream life every golf course would have a chaplain.) And of course, I would get to golf for free –because I was the club’s chaplain.
If you have done any fishing what so ever, I think you know some of the basic fundamentals of the sport. Like for instance, you have to bait the hook! Worms are traditional and pretty much the bait of choice, but believe me, there are hundreds of different kinds of baits and lures that are used to bring the “big one” to your stringer. These baits and lures are used to attract the fish so that the hook seems more appealing.
What do you think fishermen would think of the guy who just threw a hook into the water without using a lure? They would think, “Man, you’re wasting your time.” Or, “This guy doesn’t know what he’s doing.” Do you see what’s coming? Yeah, I thought you did… . Jesus said to Peter, “Follow Me, and I’ll will make you fishers of men.” This means that we’re the hook and the bait! (Remember, the bait always dies! Jesus puts our lives into the sea of humanity and through us and the Holy Spirit, we catch other men and women for the Kingdom.
Are you an empty hook? Does your life attract others? Do you lift up Jesus in your life so that your Christianity is something that others want? These are important questions to answer today because they will be asked of us later. Jesus let’s the decision to follow Him be ours, but once we decide, He expects full devotion and loyalty to Him. This is what makes Christianity, in general, and our lives, in particular, attractive to others. This is how God fishes for men!
God bless and have a wonderful week!
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