Fishing or Fighting

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19

We read, ‘Jesus…saw…Simon…and Andrew…casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men!”’ (vv. 18-19). To follow Christ you must learn how to fish for men and women and then do it! Max Lucado grew up fishing. He said: ‘We set out…dreaming of…sun. But…next morning the sky was grey, the lake a mountain of white-topped waves…there was no way we could fish…Next day…it was ice! We tried to be cheerful…but I began to notice…Mark had a few personality flaws…Dad was touchy…Nothing like being cooped up with someone to see his real nature! When we awoke the next morning to sleet…we were flat-out grumpy…Mark became even more of a jerk…Dad couldn’t do anything right, and when he announced we were going home, nobody objected…When energy intended for outside is used inside…instead of casting nets, we cast stones. Instead of helping hands we point accusing fingers. Instead of being fishers of the lost, we become critics of the saved. Rather than helping the hurting, we hurt the helpers. The result? Split churches. Poor testimonies. Broken hearts. Legalistic wars. But when those who are called to fish, fish—they flourish…Nothing unites soldiers like a common task. Leave them inside and they’ll invent things to complain about. The bunks will be too hard, food too cold, leadership too tough. Place those same soldiers in the trench and let them duck a few bullets and a boring barracks will seem like a haven…The next time outside challenges tempt you to stay inside…get out! When those who are called to fish don’t fish, they fight!’

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to stay focused on the goal, what it is You want me to do and not to allow myself to be distracted into using energy for nonproductive things. In Jesus’ Name, Amen