A half-day fishing charter in Florida waters—Friday mornings don’t get any better!
On the drive over to the boat dock, nine-year-old Sadie, who was determined to join us, launched an intense line of questions:
- How can you tell if someone is a Christian?
- Is it okay to just ask them?
- Does that work?
Sadie’s questions shot out like a machine gun, and with about as much penetrating power. As I listened, I wondered if, at some point later, I might be able to share Jesus with our captain.
Once that boat prop bit into the water, we were enchanted by the bounce of the waves, the smell of the air, and the tug on the line (not much of that in my case). We saw manatees, dolphins, a stingray—even bald eagles. My son-in-law, Josh, caught flounder, a bluefish, a stingray and crab. And Sadie hauled in her own share of fish, including a rare Snook.
Looking back, I admit to becoming so intoxicated with the business of fishing, I failed to fish—for souls. Never once did I mention the name of Jesus that morning. And the captain even cracked a conversational door open when he mentioned his traditional religious upbringing.
Mesmerized by the waves, wind, and wildlife, I sought nothing more than the pleasure of the moment, with no thought of the vastness of eternity—or the condition of the captain’s heart.
Jesus told the twelve—and us—He wants us to be fishers of souls. When He said, “I will make you fishers of men,” He intended that we would be more than pleasure-seeking passengers in this life. He intended that we constantly look for small opportunities to point to Him, and that we stop expecting lost people to come to us—but instead commit to going where they are. THAT’s real fishing.
It’s easy to get so distracted by this life that we fail to fish for souls. No wonder 2 Timothy 4:2 urges us, “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season.”
Amen—and let’s fish!
