Persistence In Fishing For Men
“Son, you can’t catch fish unless your line is in the water.” The words of my father still echo in my ears. As a young fisherman, staying focused on catching fish was sometimes challenging. Getting sidetracked on the shore with shiny tackle, frogs, and turtles was easy. Especially if fishing is slow, the anglers who catch the most fish will persistently have their line in the water.
“And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17)
A trophy on the fisherman’s wall represents thousands of casts, and a soul winner’s “success” means the hours and hours of sharing the gospel. Every gospel catch typically comes only after diligently witnessing to friends, co-workers, and neighbors, faithfully distributing tracts, and attending church outreach events. Good fishermen and good soul-winners have one thing in common: they are persistent! “…in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Gal. 6:9).
BE PERSISTENT THROUGH HARDSHIP
“Thou, therefore, endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 11:23-28)
Many are the difficulties of fishing. Fishermen get up long before daylight, travel long distances, and sometimes stay out all night. They carry equipment over rough trails, put up with inclement weather, get bitten by bugs, get hot, get cold, get discouraged, and get dirty. In fishing, you must put up with tangled lines, lost tackle, lost fish, hooks stuck in various places (sometimes in your body), leaky boats, broken equipment, and many times fish do not bite! In Christ’s day, the men who worked all night fishing often got caught in deadly storms. Many lost their lives trying to feed their family. The work of the gospel is similar. We meet rejection, indifference, and even persecution.
BE PERSISTENT IN SEEKING THE LOST
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)
When Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street go fishing, they holler over the side of the boat, “Here, fishy, fishy, fishy!” and fish start jumping in the boat! But, in real life, it does not quite work that way. Fish must be sought after. Fishermen “launch out into the deep” (Luke 5:4). Fish do not live where it is convenient to catch them. Fish do not come to you. You must go to them. Lost souls are the same way. They do not want to be caught! “There is none that seeketh after God” (Rom. 3:11). The world does not realize their desperate need for salvation, and because of their lost condition, they generally show no interest in the gospel. Lost souls do not jump in our boat. We must go after them. We must be with Christ, seeking the lost.
BE PERSISTENT TO EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF THE CATCH
This might sound crazy to non-fishermen, but there is great joy in catching fish. When you land a prize, catch and hold it in your hands, the hours of toil and suffering are quickly forgotten. Leading a person to Christ is the most fantastic prize catch there is! A single soul is of more value than the whole world. (Matt. 16:26; Mark 8:36; Luke 9:25). One person saved from our effort makes all the time, toil, and difficulties worthwhile. “I say unto you, that likewise, joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance” (Lk. 15:7). When someone receives Christ, there is joy! Joy in heaven! Joy on earth! And joy in eternity future!
Let us be persistent in sharing the gospel everywhere. Let’s give out gospel tracts, witness to everyone, and attend church outreach programs.