Fishers of Men

While I was watching my family fish and helping out by taking the fish off the hook to throw them back. My mind kept thinking on Matthew when the Lord was calling out His disciples.

"And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, 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.'" ~ Matt 4:18-19 (NKJV)

Peter and Andrew were fishermen. As I watched my family fish and saw the patience and determination to catch that fish I thought about what Christ said to the men "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Fishing isn't always easy and sometimes we must patiently wait to catch a fish. We are called to be fishers of men and sometimes you aren't going to catch a fish the first throw out like my precious niece Rachel would have liked it to be that way. As she got frustrated when she didn't catch the fish I wonder if like her we get frustrated or do we patiently endure and never give up on that fish we are trying to get. The thing to remember too is that with every fish they caught there was some pain that the particular fish that was caught endured. As I would unhook them I couldn't help but think that usually when a fish is caught there is always hurt that needs to be addressed, mended, cared for, etc...

My encouragement to you today is to never give up on whatever fish the Lord has placed in your path. Pray for it and keep trying and loving on it and in God's most perfect timing the fish will be caught. And when the fish is caught love on it through the pain it has suffered. The Lord desired to make us great fishers of men both in the catching and in the nurturing!