Fishing Memories

Some of my fondest memories from growing up are of the summertime when I’d go to my cousin’s cottage in Michigan. Those were days filled with the fun of playing in the woods, swimming, and fishing. They lived on a lake, and we’d get into their rowboat and row all over it to fish. It was during those times of sitting on that lake fishing that we’d talk about life and the plans that God had for us. I will never forget those times of fishing and the fun I had because I was doing it with a special friend.

God did not intend for us to fish alone. We are called to be “fishers of men” but need to understand that we have the church there as a support. Jesus said in Matthew 16, “I will build my church.”  While in a church service, people will experience something that can’t be found in the world, and even though they may not understand it, they will be drawn to it. The “it” is the presence of Jesus in their lives. That is why the church offers a variety of things throughout the week for people.. These are opportunities for you to bring those you are sharing Christ with and praying they will accept Christ as their Savior.

We Need To Be A Voice That Speaks Boldly

Several years ago a famous movie came out that created quite a stir among those who love going to the beach. In this movie we discover the dangers of swimming in the ocean when there’s a hungry shark nearby. Yes, that famous movie was “Jaws,” which came out in 1975. To this day there are people affected by this movie who are afraid to get into the water because a great white shark may be lurking and that’ll be the end of them. What these people don’t realize is they are missing amazing fun and joy, because statistics show only 1 in every 11.5 million people is attacked by any shark and most of them survive. You are more likely to be killed by a dog, snake, or car collision with a deer. You’re also 30 times more likely to be killed by lightning and 3 times more likely to drown at the beach than die from a shark attack. 

As those statistics were going through my mind, I found myself reflecting on the message from Sunday. We looked at the importance of being bold in our efforts to be fishers of men. We have to understand that God is in control and is a sovereign God who understands what needs to be done. I love the prayer that we studied out of Acts 4:24-30. John and Peter’s prayer showed that they understood God was in control and everything that was happening was ordained by Him. But my favorite part of the prayer is what they said in verse 29: “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.”  That is what we need our prayer to be every day. Enable us to speak your word with great boldness! Yes, there are many fish in the sea of life who’d love to destroy us so our testimony is useless, but we cannot allow our fear to silence the message that Jesus came to save men from their sins. We need to be a voice that speaks boldly to a lost and hurting world.