Fisher of men

I have my moments when I am one of the least patient individuals in the world. If you were to ever drive by a gas station while I am waiting for my gas to pump, you would laugh and think I look like a child doing the potty dance. The hour it takes, ok maybe four minutes, for that gas pump to fill my car with gas leaving me with nothing to do in those few moments is agonizing some days. I dance, I spin around, stare out at the clouds, talk to strangers, do anything to keep me from watching the pennies tick off on the gauge. Then there is walking slowly behind someone in Wal-Mart. That is not where I go to wander around aimlessly. That place is Target, but  rarely do I frequent that store. No, I go to Wal-Mart to apparently race my last time. Last week I got groceries and crossed the finish line in 15.25 minutes. Can I get it down to at least 14.5 this week? Let’s not talk about how a watched pot never boils, or how many times I have clicked the Nespresso button in one morning because the machine didn’t start brewing my morning cup of sunshine fast enough, so I convicted myself, “maybe I didn’t push start”. Sometimes my mind gets to racing so fast that listening to other people talk without interrupting is challenging. I don’t do it to be rude, I just feel like I know where we are going so let me help us get there, or this great thought just raced into my mind and before I know it I have blurted it out and cut you off mid-sentence because my mind was not patient enough to wait until you were finished speaking.

The Bible teaches us Patience is a Virtue. It is actually listed as one of the fruits of the spirit. When we talk about being Christ like, I will raise my hand here and say I fail at this! I try hard to slow myself down and force myself to be more patient, but there are few areas in life I have mastered that skill. Sunday afternoon, however, I was in my space. I was doing the thing that stills my mind, quiets my spirit, relaxes every fiber of my being, and makes me the most patient you might ever see me. We were fishing. The whole time we spent out on the water, I only caught four fish.  That was like a fish an hour, if anyone cares to know that ratio, but that didn’t matter to me. I didn’t even care that I spent more time retying hooks or changing lures than I did reeling in fish. I patiently sat in that boat cast after cast for hours, just enjoying what I was there to do.

Some might say I was inpatient because if I didn’t catch anything for a while I would sit and tie on a different lure and try something new. But if you know me, the stillness in my body and patience I had with myself as I slowly and calmly tied on those new lures would argue I was indeed being patient. I was just trying something new. Why? Because all though I was being so very patient, I was also so very motivated to catch fish. I was so invested in bringing the next fish into our boat. So much so, I was willing to try all the lures in the boat, I was willing to sit still and patiently watch my line to see if I got the next nibble of a bite, I was willing to get my hands dirty baiting the hook with the next best minnow or worm to draw the attention of the next fish. What we had to do later in the day or tomorrow wasn’t bothering me. My mind wasn’t racing. I wasn’t inpatient in the least. I was outside enjoying all of God’s creation, spending time with my person, and doing something I love.

This doesn’t sound like a fruit of the spirit devotion does it? You are right.  Be patient with me for a bit. . . ( Like what I did there.)

Unknowing that it would be my last fish to get in the boat Sunday afternoon, I held up a small bass I had just caught against the water and the tress and snapped a quick picture. As soon as I took the picture the phrase “fisher of men” came to my mind. I smiled at the little God moment, put my fish back in the water and patiently fished to catch absolutely nothing the rest of the day. Although we came home with an empty LiveWell, I came home fully satisfied. Completely happy in my heart with the day we had had. Ready to go back to the water the next chance we get.

The phrase Fisher of Men just stayed with my heart though.  It just kept pulling at me, so during my morning coffee and God time, I decided to open my Bible to see just exactly where we get that phrase from. Mathew Chapter 4:18-22- The Bible says that Jesus approached two brothers, Simon and Andrew, as they were fishing. The Bible takes the time to say, they were fisherman. Jesus spoke to them and said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately got up and followed Jesus. Then in verse 21 they passed by two more brothers fishing with their father. Jesus called them and they followed as well. My Bible titled that section The First Disciples. As I read that section I thought to myself, “What was Jesus looking for in a person when He was looking for a disciple”. I considered the fact that these four of the twelve disciples came from the same background. They were all fishermen. In fact, Phillip was also a fisherman before Jesus called him. This had me thinking, Mathew was a tax collector, John was a doctor, and these five at least were fishermen. Now, I am just getting started on digging in to see the backgrounds of all the other disciples Jesus chose, but I thought, Jesus chose each of these men for qualities and characteristics they possessed, so what was it about being a fishermen that might have made these men good disciples?

The one word I took from the passage that jumped out at me was immediately. When Jesus spoke to the men as they were fishing, they immediately responded to Him. A fisherman is an immediate responder. If you like to fish you know, if you don’t immediately respond to that fish biting your bait, you won’t set the hook. You won’t catch the fish.

The next few characteristics I thought on are not words I took from the Bible, but from the heart as I sat with this and considered fishing. Dedication- Above I used the word motivated when I was referring to my desire to catch a fish, but maybe devoted is a better word. The devotion of a fisherman to catch fish is high. They rise up early or stay out later, they fish in the hot sun, they stay out on the water for hours and hours on end, sometimes to come home with nothing. They are devoted to trying to catch fish though. They don’t give up! They might realize a bait isn’t working or they are not fishing in the right spot, but they don’t pack up and leave. They tie on a new lure or move to another spot, and they keep trying. They are devoted to their fishing.

They speak softly and move gracefully. You might say you are reaching on this one, but it’s true. Ever been on a boat with a loud talking clumsy person that makes you cringe? You hear them causing a ruckus or moving the boat all around and you can’t help but think, “well there went the fish.  Might as well move to a new spot now.” I am a clumsy person. I can be a loud person. I am not perfect in a boat, but granted I try. I become the closest version of a silent ballerina you will ever see me be. Silent that is until a fish is on the hook. Then I talk that fish all the way to the boat. Not loudly, but I coach him all the way in. Making friends with that little guy. As I thought about this I couldn’t help but remember mine and my uncle’s fishing trips during the COVID shut down of 2020. I will never forget how entertained he was at me and how much I talked to the fish. He would laugh and make comments about how as soon as I hooked a fish, I started talking to it and didn’t stop until it was in the boat. Of course I didn’t! That fish might have needed coaching to make sure he didn’t let go of the hook, wrap my line around a tree in the water, or break off and get away. I was going to talk to that guy until he was secure in the boat.

Patience is the next characteristic a person must have to be a good fisherman. It is hard to explain the level of patience needed to be a good fisherman unless you have been on the water and experienced it. So much goes into fishing and there are so many reasons you have to be patient. I have seen the same lure catch the same fish a few casts a part, I have seen one lure catch the first fish of the day and not catch another fish all day. I have sat for an hour trying to find the right Crappie or Brim spot before finally loading a boat with fish, but had  I been inpatient and left we wouldn’t have caught a thing. There is just not enough time to really justify the level of patience needed for fishing.

There are a lot of other characteristics and other things that goes into being a good fisherman such as  skill, studying up on new lures, watching the weather to know when and where to go, wearing the right attire to ensure you are not too hot and not too cold for the day, being prepared with food and water, then knowing what to do when you do come home with the fish you caught. How do you clean them so you can feed your family with them.

If you can’t tell yet, fishing is one of my favorite things to do in life. I enjoy it so much, but rather than go on and on about it, let me do my best to bring this full circle.

Fisher of Men- Jesus called the fisherman to be fishers of men. He called them to be His disciples, and many say we are called to be his disciples today. What does that mean, well, Jesus called His disciples to go and spread the word of God to the world. To share the gift of salvation with others. To help others come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior so they may have the gift of salvation and eternal life just as we have it. There are many studies taught on how to be a disciple, what discipleship should look like, or what that means. But, as I thought about the term discipleship and Fishers of Men I thought maybe we need to know more about what characteristics those individuals might have possessed that made them fishers of men that Jesus choose. Now, I said might have possessed because remember I said the only word I pulled from this passage was the term immediately. The rest I feel God spoke to me and my heart. I encourage you, if you have read this far and are still reading, to read with an open mind and open heart and allow God to speak to you. So here we go-

Immediately- When Jesus calls on our heart to act, we should respond immediately. If Jesus calls you to do something for Him, our response should be immediate. When that fish hits your hook, you set it immediately- When Jesus called His disciples, they responded immediately. When God speaks to my heart, I pray I begin to immediately respond “Here I am, God”

Dedication- Fishers are dedicated, devoted to the act of catching fish. We should be devoted to the work God is calling us to do. However big, however small we should be devoted to giving God our best in that work. If you are not sure your work is working, switch out the lure, move to a new spot, do something different, but don’t give up on the work God is calling you to.

Speak Softly and Move Gracefully- When we walk through this world and we live for God, we are daily trying to bring His presence to others. Now, I try to pray that God allow me and help me to live out loud for Him in this world, but that doesn’t mean yelling from a roof top and getting all the attention. Kind of like the phrase, you catch more bees with honey- I think the softer we speak and the more graceful we move through life the more people will be attracted to our spirit and want to know more about what we have going on. In a world full of chaos and turmoil, people would want to know more about peace and a gentle calm spirit than they would loud or chaos.  I also  don’t feel that we need to argue for God. I don’t feel we need to dispute with someone for God. People don’t like to argue. That only makes them want to prove they are right that much more. People do like to feel heard, they do like to feel important. People listen more when they feel they are also being listened to. Move gracefully through life and speak softly, so the Spirit of God moves through you and is seen in you and not covered up by you  in anyway.

Be Patient- We do know Patience is a virtue and a fruit of the spirit, but this is an area I have to get better at. I pray the Lord can speak that same patience in me during everyday life that I feel when I am on that boat fishing. If I look at my everyday life as though I am actually a fisher of men for Christ, then maybe I can change my own pace in Wal-Mart, maybe I can drive slower on the roadway, or stand a little more still at the gas pump. You say, how does that apply to being a disciple for Christ? What do those little moments matter? Those moments are the moments others are looking at us the most. They look more closely at us in the moments we are not speaking God to them than the moments we are. They want to see who we truly are on the inside because our nature projects to the outside in those moments. They look to see if we are someone they feel will take the time to talk to them if they approach us, or if we seem to bothered to be bothered by them.

It can also take patience if the Lord has placed a particular person or thing on our heart, but we just feel like we can’t get through. If we share our testimony or speak Christ to someone time and time again, but they are just not responding. Patience. Don’t give up. Change up the lure, change up the approach, but don’t get in-patint an give up.

It just takes so much patience that maybe this could be a whole series in itself- one I know I need God to speak to me on.

I mentioned the skill of studying the new lures, watching the weather, ect. – We have to stay studied up on the Word. We have to carry the Word on our heart with us. We also have to know about the climate of the world to understand the enemy we are fighting each day. We have to know about the work God is calling us to, or about the person we fell led to speak to. Granted, you feel God put it on your heart to speak to a stranger in town you can’t say “Wait, let me see if I can stalk them online for a bit and study up on the bread aisle before I speak to them.” No, those moments you just speak! But, if God has someone in your life He is putting on your heart, maybe you need to put effort in to getting to know them and being present with them, not just speaking God’s Word, testifying, and going on. People like to feel heard and seen. People like to feel important. People will listen better when they feel you care enough about them to know about them.

Then I mentioned what do you do with the fish when you get them home. How do you clean them and prepare them for the family?- What do we do after we have been out fishing for men, planted the seed, seen someone call out to God for salvation, surrender their life? Do we just throw them back in the lake of life and say Good Luck! No! We should help them along their journey just like someone else did for us. You didn’t talk them all the way into your boat just to throw them back into the sea of life to sink or swim. You keep talking to them. You keep coaching them. You guide them to God’s Word, you invite them into your fishing circle. You help them on their journey and walk with Christ, and you keep fishing.

I try to grow in my own walk with Christ daily. I am thankful He speaks to my heart through these devotions. If they are for no one else, they are for me. I pray God helps me through this devotion to grow into a better Fisher of Men for Him. I also pray that this devotion spoke to someone as much as it did me and helps you on your own journey as a disciple Fishing for Men for Christ.