People Fishers
That’s Grandpa Brock and Uncle Paul, fishing in what used to be called Carlinville Lake in central Illinois. I used to fish with them in that very boat, in that very lake! I loved to fish! I still love to fish, but back then, I used to catch fish; now I don’t. No matter. The outing itself brings me joy! One day shortly after Ken’s death, I sat happily in the drizzle/rain for 9 hours, moving here and there at Rock Cut State Park and caught nothing! (I was a little bummed!)
One thing I know is that fish live in the water and if we wish to catch them, we must go where they are! They do not seek us out. I’m sure you get my point. Now and then, a “fish” will come to us, but on the whole, we must go where the fish are! After the notorious catch of fish in the Bible, Jesus so poignantly said to Peter, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” And He told the disciples, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”
“Preaching the gospel to every creature” boils down, basically, to being a fisher of men, and we must be as excited about that as how our fishermen friends are about fishing! They can’t wait to get out there! They buy gadgets to help them find the fish! They stay out for hours and usually, they bring home fish!
In the same way, we must love fishing for people; we must go where they are; we must “catch” them; and we must reach them for Jesus Christ!