Fishing For Men / Our Day Job
Fishing all day long is our main job. Not fishing for fish, but fishing for men. In calling His first disciples in Mark 1:17 Jesus said, “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men”.
[pullquote]Don’t get caught up in the idea that unless YOU lead a person to the Lord that they are a lost cause. The fact of the matter is that MOST people you share Christ with, won’t receive Him at that time.[/pullquote]
In our busy lives, it’s easy to lose track of what we’re here for. Regardless of our duties and daily responsibilities, our main purpose is to follow Christ and bring more people into the Kingdom of God.
I’m not saying that we should’nt pursue other ventures in life. After all, abundant life is a gift given to us by God (John 10:10). But to go days, weeks, months, or even years without giving thought to the influence (or lack thereof) on the lives of those within our circle of influence is not how we should be living.
Life is Fleeting
At the time of this writing, I’m 60 years old. I’ve made more mistakes in life than I care to remember. Yet God has blessed me beyond anything that I could have ever hoped for. The older I get, the more my perspective changes on life and what I means to me.
Now, I spend my days laying out the bait and waiting for a bite. Wherever I go and whatever I do, looking for opportunities to share the good news of Jesus Christ occupies my mind continually.
If you’re a younger person you may think you have a lot of time left on this earth. I pray you’re right. Telling people about Jesus Christ might be the last thing on your mind when you leave the house in the morning.
But I challenge you to change your mindset. Correction, don’t change your mindset. Let the excitement of leading someone to the Lord change your mindset. Trust me, it will become an addiction. Seeing lives changed by the power of the Holy Spirit of God is a high that you can’t get from any drug.
Changing lives is a collaborative effort
God loves us. It’s not His will that anyone should die and be sentenced to a Christ-less eternity (1 Peter 3:9). There may be a host of people over a long period of time that God will use to bring the lost unto Himself. Don’t get caught up in the idea that unless YOU lead a person to the Lord that they are a lost cause.
The fact of the matter is that MOST people you share Christ with, won’t receive Him at that time. Think of it as a freight train. There may be 100 cars on a train that’s a mile long. You might be the engine of the train….the very first person to share Jesus with the person.
You might be car number 47….the 47th person to exemplify Jesus in a persons’ life. You may never see some of these people again. You may have had a monumental impact on a persons’ life and you won’t find out about it until you see them in heaven.
But every once in a while something glorious will happen. You will be the caboose on the train and be given the privilege of leading someone to the Lord. When this happens, resist prideful thoughts in thinking that YOU were the reason a new baby in Christ was born. Yes, God used you to lead the person to Christ, but He also used the other 99 cars on the train as well, You were just given the opportunity to see the end result.
Time to Go Fishing
So get your fishing gear out. Stock up on your bait. Allow the Holy Spirit to change the atmosphere around you simply by your presence. Become a professional fisherman and let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).
For a sample prayer to be prayed with anyone who is ready to turn their life over to the Lord, read the post “What Must I do to Be Saved“