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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion January 22, 2008 Gone Fishin’ |
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Frontline Devotion for Tuesday, January 22, 2008 by Brenda Kessler
Matthew 4:18-22
“Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later
called Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their nets into the
lake. It was their regular work. Jesus said to them, ‘Come with me. I’ll make
a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show you how to catch men and women
instead of perch and bass.’ They didn’t ask questions, but simply dropped their
nets and followed. A short distance down the beach they came upon another pair
of brothers, James and John, Zebedee’s sons. These two were sitting in a boat
with their farther, Zebedee, mending their fishnets. Jesus made the same offer
to them, and they were just as quick to follow, abandoning boat and father.”
(The Message)
Gone Fishin’. I entered those two words in a search engine on our computer and discovered enough resources to keep me reading for many weeks. In the list of resources a simple computer game called “Gone Fishin’” caught my attention. The how-to caption said this: “Catch fish, while avoiding the trash in this simple fishing simulation. The deeper the fish the more points you are awarded.” It wasn’t long before I became “hooked” on this simple computer game. It was, indeed, true that I had to avoid the trash – old pots, toys, and rubber tires – or points would be deducted. It was also true that I acquired more points if I went deep into the water to catch the fish there rather than catch the closer ones swimming near the top of the pond. How simple it was to play this fishing game.
Today’s reading is about fishing. Jesus called Simon, Andrew, James, and John to put down their nets and start fishing for men and women. His call to His new disciples was for them to be evangelists. Fishing was at the heart of His ministry. His fishing didn’t have any strings attached. (No pun intended.) There was no trash in the waters of His world. Each person was a valued catch. He didn’t require His disciples to go deep into the troubled waters of the world to earn a bigger reward. Each person was a valued catch no matter how near or far.
The waters of the world are still filled with “fish”, people needing to be caught with the good news. There is no trash. Each person is a valued catch. We don’t have to go to faraway places (deep waters) to catch people for Jesus. Each person, both near and far, is a valued catch. It seems to be a simple matter to throw the nets with the good news to the “fish” in the waters of the world and yet I suspect many of us shy away from fishing. Fishing is not our favorite sport.
Jesus asked his disciples to do some fishing. Fishing is still the heart of Christian ministry. Let’s give fishing a try!
Prayer: Thank you, Lord Jesus, for calling your disciples to go fishing for people. Thank you for all your disciples who continue to do fishing for you. Make me an enthusiastic fisherman. I pray in your name. Amen.
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All are welcome to join and share in our Devotional Ministry on the "Frontlines" of the world. Frontline Devotions are sent via email daily. Sign up by clicking on the box to the left. Pastor Dave welcomes feedback. Contact him at pastordave@goodshepherdonline.org. |
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