12 November 2021  Devotion for Today   “Fishers of Men”  Mark 1: 16-20

This afternoon I took advantage of the beauty of this late fall day and went fishing.  There are many good fishing spots in the town of Edenton where I live.  I chose Pembroke Creek on the west end of town- a favorite fishing and boating spot at the confluence of the Chowan River and the Albemarle Sound.  I purchased some red worms at the Westover Deli and positioned myself on the bank of the creek. For about two hours my three year old black Lab and Bloodhound Mix by name of Duke and I basked in the warmth of the Autumn sun and took in the beauty of the foliage.  We did not catch any fish- although I did see one rather large mullet jump from the water a few times.  I am not much of a fisherman, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself and reflected on this Scripture selection for today:

16 And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 19 When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. 20 And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.  Mark 1:16-20

 Jesus met his first disciples in a fishing village on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.  He watched them masterfully cast their nets to haul in their catch when He commanded them to follow Him.  He reasoned with them that if the fishermen could catch fish, they could catch men in the sense of bringing them to follow Jesus as well.   

While I am not nor have ever been a good fisherman, I have observed certain principles about fishing that work equally well with catching people as much as catching fish.  

1. You must fish where the fish are.  This may sound like a statement of the obvious, but there is much more truth that we realize.  I found this out where I was fishing today.  The body of water may be a beautiful, scenic place, but if there are no fish there, then it is advisable to move on somewhere else.  This is also true about catching people for the Kingdom of God.  Some geographical locations just hold better prospects than others.   Where there is an abundance of people, then there is a better chance that someone is going to “fall into your net.”  No amount of attachment or scenery of a location is going to change that
2. You must fish where the fish are biting.   This is similar to the earlier statement.  There may be a multitude of fish in your fishing spot.  But if they were fed before you arrived, then you are probably not going to catch many fish.   This is true of people also.  A small community may have an abundance number of church already faithfully feeding their flocks.  Or  there may be an abundance of worldly attractions diverting would-be converts who have already fed on the spiritual junk of this world, and have little appetite for the things of God.
3. Fish with the right bait.  Not all fish are attracted to worms.  And some fish will not respond to attractive, hand-made lures.   This is true of people also.   People have a variety of different spiritual needs and one type of presentation or technique is not going to attract everybody to the Gospel.  Some may be the “low-hanging fruit” who were ready and responsive just by throwing the line in the very first time.  Others are won by the investment of many months or even years of relationships.   There is no “one-size-fits-all” approaches when it comes to the Gospel.  The wise fisherman has a variety of tackle in his tackle box.  Proverbs 11:30: “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.”

I could continue on with this analogy, but it is time to go in and give up my fishing spot for now.  Perhaps tomorrow may yield different results in a new location.  Have a blessed day!