gone fishin'
"Jesus said to them, 'Come after Me; I will make you fishers of men.' " —Mark 1:17
Have you gone fishing yet this year? The Lord wants you to fish for men and women every day. Fishing, as Jesus knew it, was more a matter of repeated effort than skill. Fishers needed skill to know where and when to fish, but mostly it took just plain hard work. Fishing in Jesus' day had nothing to do with bait, reels, or poles. Fishing was simply throwing a heavy net into the sea and dragging it back. The more times they cast the net and the longer they worked, the better their chances were of catching fish. Fishing was basically long hours of hard manual labor.
Fishing for men and women (evangelizing) is similar. We don't need to be smart or articulate. We just need to work daily, frequently, and repeatedly to lead others to Christ. If you keep throwing the net, Jesus will provide the fish. Those who fish a lot catch a lot of fish.
Prayer: Father, may my love for You inspire me to work hard at fishing for the souls of men and women.
Promise: "In times past, God spoke in fragmentary and varied ways to our fathers through the prophets; in this, the final age, He has spoken to us through His Son." —Heb 1:1-2
Praise: Monthly Confession keeps Stephen on track toward heaven.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape Evangelization on audio AV 55-1 and AV 55-3 or video V-55.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, May 28, 2010
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