Fisherman or Fisher of Men?

   Fisherman or Fisher of Men?

This devotional is from Bro. Luke Tullock from Heritage Baptist Church in Palmyra, N.Y.

 I have gone on my share of fishing trips in my lifetime, but I would not consider myself to be a true “fisherman”. I remember going salmon fishing with my dad when I was about 12 years old, I remember wading out into the water waiting for one of those massive salmon to take the bait. I was probably 100 lbs. back then and those salmon can grow to be as long as 5 feet long and can weigh as much as 100 lbs.! I’m sure you can imagine who would be the one going for a ride if I was able to hook one… I always stayed close to my dad so that if I did hook one, I didn’t end up getting dragged through the water! I recall another fishing trip we went on, my sister, my dad and I caught over 100 bluegills in about 2 hours. These are all great memories, but I still would not consider myself to be a true fisherman. As a matter of fact, since I have been married and had children, I have not been fishing once. Fishing can be fun, and it can be exciting but even for someone who considers themselves to be a true fisherman, it is still something you do every “once in a while”.  

 On the other side, in the Bible, we find the command to be Fishers of Men. What even is that? Some of the disciples in the Bible were fishermen for a living, that was their trade. They went fishing for 40-60 hours a week or more. When Jesus called them to follow Him, He told them He would make them Fishers of Men instead. Jesus wanted them to tell everyone they could about the good news about Jesus! Did you know that He wants us to do that today as well? Jesus wants us to make it a habit…a priority even to tell others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Being a fisher of men is not something we do in our spare time; it is something that we should constantly be doing. Jesus wants us to represent Him and tell people about Him every opportunity we get! Fishing for fish is a hobby, fishing for people should be a way of life that every child of God prioritizes every single day! So, my question to you is this…are you a fisher of men?

Aim on what's Important

  

    You're in a field and there's a big doe broadside at 10 yards, it's the last day of bow season and you’ve only filled one doe tag. There's 15 minutes of legal light left, and not another deer in the field. You’ve just decided to take the doe when suddenly at the hand shaking distance of 5 yards, the big bodied, wide antlered mature 12 pointer walks broadside into the field and starts eating. You see the buck but you're already on the doe, you don’t want to change positions and risk being seen and blowing the whole deal. You pull the trigger on your release your arrow strikes the doe perfectly, and the buck and the mortally wounded doe runs off. Now you're thinking, 'that's crazy', but that's exactly what we do. In the story we said you shot the doe. Well, if you would have shot the buck you would’ve gotten years of enjoyment out of it, whereas the doe will be eaten, and nothing left. Here's a saying I’ve always liked, and it has a lot of truth. “Only one life, twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last.” -C.T. Studd. In our Christian life we seem to do things that are not very important when we have many opportunities to do things that are! So, aim on what's important! Now definitely, Hunting is good, and I enjoy it very much, but everything has its proper place. So, shoot that buck, today!

Romans 12:11 says                                              Not slothful in business; fervent in prayer; serving the Lord.