Any fishermen here?
Bryan Strickland on his blog, “Louisiana Bishop” offered the following guide for fishermen with excuses for not catching fish. (An analogy to “fishers of men.”) I can especially identify with the one about fishing “where God has placed you.” Or, as I have stated it, “grow where you are planted!”
- The fish weren’t biting! Study the fish’s habits. Know what to use for bait, when the best time of day is to catch it, and how to cast your line.
- The weather was wrong – it was too hot or too cold to catch anything! In the church, you create your own spiritual climate with those you touch, regardless of those around you.
- My hook was dull! The blunt hook of human wisdom will never convict like the sharp truth of the Word of God. You can win an argument and lose the soul!
- I was in the wrong spot! “The fish are really biting on the foreign field.” Fish where God has placed you.
- The water was too rough! Fishing can still be successful regardless of the rough waters you are in personally.
- I ran out of gas! If you are spiritually drained, just come back to Calvary and ask God to renew your passion.
Pretty good response. Thanks, Bryan! There is one more that I have heard…
- The “big one” got away! This may be true at times, but it most likely is just a “smoke screen” for one not actually catching anything. In the spiritual realm, such excuses may suggest that the “numbers” (attendance, conversions, etc) we report are not entirely true either.
Do you have any “fishermen’s excuses” that have spiritual applications? Leave a comment and let us in on it. Ray
|
About Ray: Ray Waldo is a retired pastor with a passion for sharing knowledge, understanding and (if possible), wisdom with everyone he meets. Prior to his retirement, Ray served as a local pastor, short-term missionary to Mexico, Kenya, Uganda & the Democratic Republic of Congo. |
