Catching God's Fish

Mark 1:17 – "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." (NIV)

God has been giving me this analogy lately because the following situation exists in my life. When Christians go fishing after their families and friends who have rejected them and Jesus time and time again, it becomes unproductive. The Christians get put down so much by them that they can't even witness to other people effectively, because they are so upset by the reactions of these people. The Christian's friends and family can sometimes be their worst enemies and be very discouraging. Even the Bible tells us that truth.

But there is good news. Peter went fishing one day, and, letting down his net on one side of his boat, he caught nothing. Then, at the command of Jesus, he let down his net on the other side of his boat, and caught many, many fish. Do you know what happened to the fish on the first side (the family) of the boat? When they saw all the commotion on the other side of the boat, they swam to see what was happening and they got caught too! Do you get the point?

When they see the works God is doing through you, they will follow! Wow, what great news! We don't even have to do anything to catch these fish. Just go where God tells us to go, and the fish will be just waiting to jump in the boat! And the fish that were tarrying (the family and sceptics) on the other side will come around too!

What a blessing! So, don't worry about our family or friends if they have rejected us. Just send up our prayers to our heavenly Father, God. He hears them all.

Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, please help us to catch all the fish you want us to catch for you, and to give you the glory, honour, and thanks for leading us to success in being good fishers of men for you. We pray that you will make us useful, and fill us to overflowing with your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' precious and holy name we pray. Amen.