“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
Matthew 4:19
Jesus’ invitations to come are gentle. They require you to
leave where you are and do a new thing; however, they do give you the option. While
persuasive, Jesus never coerces.
Jesus issued His initial invitation to come to those twelve men who would become His inner circle, Simon
and Andrew first, then James and John. Their response was immediate: At once they left their nets and followed
him (Matthew 4:20). The rest eventually would join in. The call was
definitive and certain, as evidenced by their living and dying. In the
beginning they were enthralled by the charisma of the Son of Man; in the end
they knew they had seen God.
Fishing for men would not be easy. As Jesus later clarified:
“If anyone would come after me, he must
deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).
But then, the life of a fisherman was never easy. My
grandmother lived in a small resort town on Lake Huron. It was merely a hop,
skip and jump from her house to the docks, where we would wait for the boats to
come in. I was so in awe of the big, brawny men in their rubber boots and
overalls, offloading the slippery, shimmering catch of the day. I was impressed
with the care they took of their nets, strung over the wooden frames to dry and
mend.
Such is the call on all of us, ladies, to be fishers of men.
Are you willing to let Jesus show you
the intricacies of soul fishing? The catch is as slippery as the Whitefish on
Lake Huron, but worthy of the spiritual brawn you will cultivate in intimate
moments with the Lord. Your nets of truth will require the constant care and
mending, of time spent in His word.
Yes, Jesus did not intend to beckon only to the Apostles.
Have you heard His gentle “Come, follow
me, and I will make you fishers of men”?
Nancy P
No comments:
Post a Comment