The Weekly Diner

Dear Readers:

May the Grace, Mercy, and Peace from God our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ be with you today and always! Amen.

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Matt. 4:19)

Recently as I was passing a small pond on my bicycle, I noticed that there was a tree that had fallen into the water and was sunken. Because it was a sunny day, I was able to see it and other things on the bottom of the pond. As I thought of this, I remembered when fishing as a youngster that I often would get my hook caught on such things. This was inconvenient and often caused extra work. I would much rather have been able to keep fishing and not have to deal with the tangles caused by the obstructions. Perhaps a nice, sandy bottom with no rocks, sticks, trees, roots, or other obstruction would be a nicer place to fish. I did not know at the time that the fish live where the obstructions are because there they can find food and shelter.

As I continued to ponder this, the thought came that sometimes we would like fishing for souls to be easy as well. We would like all of our plans to go perfectly with no problems or struggles. But this is not reality! When we are true fishers of men, the servants of our Lord Jesus, we quickly find that all is not perfect. The devil places snags in our way to try to stop us, just as he did with the Apostle Paul. As in natural fishing when the fish are hiding under the logs, behind the rocks, or in the fallen trees, the lost souls are found where the fishing is the hardest. These lost souls can be in the slums, in the gutters of drunkenness, filled with evil spirits, or even dwelling near the edge of death. They might be in a faraway place or living close to us.

Dear Christian, do not be discouraged when the going gets tough. That could mean the lost ones are very near. Keep fishing! The fishing is best in the hardest places to reach – that is where the lost souls are found.

If you are not a believer, God is calling you! A Christian is ready to reach out to you in love. May God grant you the desire to repent and turn from your sinful and dead-ended ways. Are you living in the mud of the bottom (dirty) places today? Are you tangled in the deep and dark sins of this world? Perhaps you have started to hear the call and can feel the heat of the sun (Son) already starting to melt your heart. Keep seeking the Lord. The Bible promises that if you seek, ye SHALL find.

Remember in the Bible account when the fishing nets were full, Jesus said to bring Him the fish. Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. (John 21:20) Remember to always point to Jesus and lead the sinner to Him. Jesus is the Savior; He keeps calling and calls even today: Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. (John 21:12)

Dear pastors and believers, be encouraged during the hard times and hard work of fishing for souls! The fish are not yours; they belong to the Lord. As believers, we are only poor fishermen beggars showing other poor souls where to find the food, the answer, and the remedy for the pain of sin and shame.

Jesus Christ, yesterday, today and forevermore!

JR