As my wife and I settle into life in the Wimmera, we can’t help but notice that fishing is a favourite leisure-time activity.
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This area is home base for so many ‘tinnies’ – of various sizes and specifications. Being a ‘mad keen fisherman,’ I applaud and fully agree, fishing is fabulous. That is not to say I am any good at fishing: it seems fish and I have an arrangement that they are never where I am, and I am never where they are biting.
Regardless of my lack of success, I still love the opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and ‘drop a line’ somewhere.
The Bible tells us of a special fisherman, Jesus Christ.
For a man who grew up in dusty Palestine and trained as a carpenter, Jesus was an extraordinary fisherman. Matthew and Mark’s Gospels both tell of a very successful fishing trip he went on, a trip that he is still on to this day.
I want to share with you a story about the ones that did not get away.
At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he was walking along the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee when he spotted two brothers, Andrew and Simon Peter out fishing. He boldly said to them; “Follow me and I will make you fish for people”.
That command might sound weird to our ears but the brother’s response was simply amazing. They obeyed and immediately followed. No stalling, no umming or ahhhing; these brothers simply dropped their nets and followed.
And further along the shoreline Jesus did the same thing to another pair of brothers, James and John with the same result: Jesus called them, and they immediately dropped what they were doing and followed.
Wow! That’s some fishing technique, because this was even before the four had seen Jesus at work healing, preaching and performing miracles all over the countryside.
What it demonstrates is that, if and when Jesus calls you to follow, He does not miss and He will not give in till you are caught, until you follow Him.