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?