Gone Fishing

I went fishing the other day with my family. Although we didn't land the kind of "miracle" catch that Jesus helped Peter catch, we did catch a few perch. My youngest son, convinced that there were sharks in the lake, was pleasantly surprised when we reeled in the small fish. Neither one of of my boys cared to bait their hooks with the slimy worms so I took care of that. After all, you can't catch fish without bait. Whether it's rubber worms, live bait, fancy lures or whatever, you have to use something to catch fish.

Peter, James, and John and all the other fishermen that eventually followed Jesus knew all about catching fish. When Jesus called them to follow Him, He said, "Follow me and I'll make you fishers of men." Jesus was building a kingdom and was recruiting men to help him bring others into the kingdom. Like those men, those of us who are followers of Jesus, have the responsibility to be "fishers of men."

There is no better time than right now to engage in this type of kingdom business. Our bait? Hope! There's not a great deal of good news to be found right now, but we as believers always have a source of good news. We always have hope to share with those who have none. Psalm 91 declares that regardless of what is happening in the world around us, God will always take care of his children.

Sure, the economy looks bad, and there are wars and rumors of wars, and the spirit of anti-christ is seen everywhere. But, God is still on the throne and he is a refuge for each of us. Look for opportunities to share hope with those you meet. You don't have to be preachy, just confident that the God you serve is who He says He is.