"Let's go fishing!" My cousins, my siblings, and I used to love it when Uncle Leonard arrived and packed his car full of us to go fishing in a nearby stream. Of course, that was back in the day when automobiles didn't have seat belts and the back seat could be filled two or three tiers deep with children. Believe me, he didn't have to ask any of us twice. We all ran and grabbed our poles, dug a few worms out in the pasture, and away we went "happy as clams", as they say here in Maine. Once we arrived at a fishing hole, we tumbled out of the back seat, grabbed our poles and worms from the trunk and hurried to catch some fish. I can hear my uncle chuckle now. He loved watching the spectacle as much as he liked casting his own line. Last summer some of the grandchildren congregated around Stephen's pond. There was a lot of excitement as he provided poles and helped bait the hooks. "You will b e able to catch a LOT of fish, he said, but you will have to put them back so we don't run out of fish." Excitement filled the air. The children will most likely remember the fun for a long time to come. (So will the adults).
Remember this account in Matthew 4? "And Jesus. . . saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, 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'. They immediately left their nets and followed Him."
We could speculate about the thoughts that must have gone through the minds of the two fishermen, but we know they didn't think for long. They immediately left their nets behind and followed Jesus. They must have been enthused to go along with Jesus and find people who were hungry for the truth.
And what about us? Are we able to share the Gospel with others? Someone has said that a witness simply tells what they know. If you know Jesus and if I know Jesus, we are able to tell others about Him.
Today we heard that our eleven year old grandson is doing just that. Here is the story: "[He] took his Bible to the park. He got a bunch of kids sitting down at the picnic table reading to them. Apparently there were a lot of kids who were confused about the story where he was reading, so they decided they should begin at the beginning."
There is a song that Steve Green used to sing: "People Need the Lord". It was true then. It is true now. It has always been true. We, who know "the way, the truth, and the life" are the only ones who can share the GOOD NEWS of the Gospel with others. I know -- the devil tries to deceive us and lead us to believe that we cannot be witnesses for Jesus. But that is not true!
Here is a question for you and me: "If children can be fishers of men, what about US?" There are no valid reasons why not. Let's spread the WORD. Let's do it with enthusiasm. Jesus was offering much more excitement and satisfaction to fishers of MEN vs fishers of FISH!
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
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