Thursday, January 5
Follow and fish
Scripture: Matthew 4
Matthew 4:18–19 As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen). 19 He said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people.”
Observation
Several things to note about Jesus’ call of the Simon Fishing Company (Simon, Andrew, James and John were business partners).
First, the call is to follow Jesus; the promise is the He will make you fishers of people. Our first focus isn’t evangelism, but following Jesus. Following Jesus will result in evangelism—He will turn us into fishers of people if we follow Him. Which raises a question: if I’m not helping others find Jesus, am I really following Him?
Second, fishing for people is hard work. Don’t think of the disciples casting a line and sitting back to wait for the fish to bite. That kind of fishing is relaxing. That’s not the kind of fishing they were doing. It was net fishing; it involved casting a heavy circular weighted net and then pulling it in—over and over. It was strenuous physical labor and often the nets came up empty. Hours of hard work with nothing to show for it. My point is that fishing for people—helping people find Jesus—may be more like net fishing than line fishing. Lots of hard work with sporadic results.
Application
First, I will follow Jesus today. I will live in relationship with Jesus and let Jesus lead. I will do my best, like Jesus, to do the will of the Father. What would Jesus do? What does God want?
Second, I will “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Timothy 4:5)—that is, the labor of engaging people in redemptive relationships and conversations. I was reminded of the urgency of that work in an early morning text. A police chaplain was called out last night to a family whose young son took his own life. None of them know the Lord. The chaplain texted: “Really puts more of an urgency on helping people find and follow Jesus.” Yes it does.
Prayer: I love You Jesus. Please help me do these two things today…and every day. First, follow You. Second, fish for people—do the work of an evangelist. Please “turn me into a fisher of people.”