When Lisa and I moved to Dyer eleven years ago, we owned a pontoon boat because I loved to fish. At one time my family owned a water front cabin on Rough River and days off or vacations found me at my “home” away from home on the water fishing, swimming or just boat riding. After my dad developed Parkinson’s disease, the family decided to sell it.
Moving to Breckinridge County, I told myself I could go fishing anytime I wanted and still sleep in my own bed every night. WRONG! My daily drive to work in New Albany, Indiana and my schedule caused me to leave home before daylight and return home at sunset. Weekends saw me mowing and doing chores I couldn’t do during the week. I moved the boat just to mow under it, never seeing Rough River. After a couple of years of this, I decided to sell our little used boat to pay off some bills and after being brought up by my dad to hunt and fish, my fishing days pretty much ended.
Fast forward to present time and now I fish for the Lord. I don’t need a boat or water, but just like catching real fish, I need to know how to do it, when is the best time to present the gospel, when do I set the hook, even where do I cast ?
There are days when you know the fish won’t bite. There are areas where there aren’t any, but you learn these things over time and under the direction of someone who knows. Looking back, I needed my dad to teach me the what, when, where and how of being a successful fisherman. I also need Jesus to teach me these same skills if I’m going to be successful in explaining the salvation Christ offers to those who turn to Him.
The bible is the instruction book and the Holy Spirit is the one who draws you to someone. Rejection will be the norm, just as a fish may reject your lure on any given day. It is up to the fish if it wants to bite your lure, and it is the person’s free will to accept or reject the Gospel. Only God knows why you were prompted to speak to a particular person, it is only ours to obey His Great Commission. We plant the seed and we may see the result or we may not. It is not important how many we have on our stringer, to use a fishing term. It is only important to cast our line into the sea of lost souls and let the Holy Spirit draw who He may.
There will be times when you get discouraged, but, just as in fishing, the time you decide to reel in your line to go home, the big one bites! God tells us the harvest is much, but the workers are few. We are to be fishers of men and there is a lot of water before us. But, unlike fishing for fish and coming home empty handed, we are never “skunked”. As long as we are in God’s will, it is a good day to fish and God’s word comforts us by letting us know Jesus’ words as we enter heaven; Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. I’m glad to be fishing for my Lord.
By the way, after 8 years, I have also dusted off my rods again!.
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