GONE FISHIN' - CHAPTER 1

Chapter 1

TO THE JEW FIRST


“The fruit of the uncompromisingly righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise captures human lives for God as a fisher of men...he gathers and receives them for eternity.”
Proverbs 11:30 (Amp.)

Watching the lone fisherman cast his line into the Sea of Galilee, I felt as though I were a part of history. The sun sank slowly in the Western sky and the slight chill of the early May evening caused me to walk a little faster. At a respectable distance I captured the scene with my camera and then decided to see if the hunched over man had caught anything.



Trying to appear casual, I walked by, looking quickly into his fish pail. It sure didn't look like he had caught anything. Venturing bravely over to his side, I asked him if the fish were biting. He just shrugged, shaking his head from side to side. With his back hunched over, he pulled his hat further down over his forehead as if to say, "Tourists! None of their business anyway." I got the hint and, being careful not to slip on the rocky bank, gingerly backed away, quickly snapping another picture, just to make sure I had captured the moment.
It was quite a sight. A solitary fisherman sitting on a rock, his line cast far out into the Sea of Galilee. Might even be a prize winning picture! I could just imagine one of the early disciples fishing in this same sea centuries ago.
As I walked back up the beach to join my friends, my thoughts kept wandering back to the lone, seemingly unproductive, fisherman. Maybe he should change his bait or his location. Perhaps he was just being patient, knowing if he didn't give up, he would have something to take home to his family.

Fishing?

I never understood why people enjoyed it so much, until I experienced the thrill of catching my first catfish in a small, private pond in Georgia. You've never seen such hooping and hollering out of a grown woman. Up until that experience I had found fishing a rather boring activity. Just give me a good book and I'd be glad to leave the fishing to my husband, Charlie. However, even after the fun and excitement of catching my first fish, I have discovered that nothing can compare with the joy and lasting satisfaction of fishing for men. Now, that's fishing!
Over the years I have been amazed to learn how much similarity there is between fishing for fish and fishing for men! The need for fishing in just the right location, with the right bait. The requirement of patience and persistence. Being ready with the proper equipment and having our timing perfected as to when to cast out our line. Willing to try new methods and go into uncharted waters. Studying our fishing manuals to learn from the experts. And without a doubt, being willing to be uncomfortable, dirty and inconvenienced. And oh, yes, don't forget those pesky bugs and mosquitoes!



I first heard the call of Jesus to be a fisher of men back in the fifties. Up until that time, I had worked pretty hard for the devil. Riding with the Hell's Angels, living with a gangster, and generally kicking up my heels, I had caused a lot of problems for everyone, especially my family. I certainly didn't look like a candidate for fisherman of the month! But God has a great sense of humor.
When the Good News of the Gospel penetrated my heart, I traded my Harley for a fishing pole. I just had to get busy in my new vocation as a fisher of men. In fact, that first morning at work, after the Lord reeled me in, I kept thinking, “I’ve got to tell somebody. I’ve got to tell somebody.” At this embryonic stage of my Christian experience, my knowledge of the Bible was limited to only a few exciting truths. One: Daniel did not get eaten in the lions’ den and... Two: God is real and alive! Not exactly appetizing fish bait.

However, armed with the knowledge that God was now inside me, I entered the cafeteria, and sat down in the only available chair. Immediately the young woman sitting across from me volunteered, "You know, my father died this week and when I was at his graveside, I didn’t even know how to pray.”

If a candid camera had been recording her unsolicited comment to me, and my subsequent reaction, my face would have surely registered shock. Pray? That was the buzz word! Looking into her distressed face I burst out enthusiastically, "Oh, you need to come with me Thursday night to a Bible study I'm attending. They'll teach you how to pray!" (I hadn't yet learned about the Four Spiritual Laws.)
Although I was a novice at soul winning, and seemingly said all the wrong things, this young lady eventually gave her heart to Christ. Her name? Rachel Abraham, a Jewess.

God honored my first, faltering attempt at fishing. The Master Fisherman was so patient with this rookie angler. Little did I dream what an exciting life He was leading me into. Becoming a fisher of men has taken me into the strangest of waters, using the weirdest of bait, and I've seen the most amazing selection of fish.

There have been hookers, drunks and drug addicts. Children of all shapes, sizes and races. Family members have included in-laws and outlaws. Some have wanted to go back into the water, and I've had to try to reel them in again. Others, like the Galilean fisherman, mistake my concern for nosiness. Those rejecting my efforts to share the gospel with them have only driven me back into my prayer closet. In spite of setbacks and failures, I'm learning an important lesson. It's my job to catch 'em.....but God's job to clean 'em.



In the following chapters I want to share a few of my fishing experiences with you. I hope when you've finished reading about them, you'll grab your pole, pick up your bait and get busy. Ain't nothing like a good mess of fish!

Prayer for Today
Dear Lord,
With your help, I will heed the call to be a “fisher of men.”
In Jesus name,

Amen