Fishing Time

Welcome to the first Reynolds Rap of 2025. We made it to a new year, and I don’t know about you, but I have high hopes for this coming year. I still believe the Lord has something great in store for His people.

In my devotions this week I was in Luke chapter 5 and we see the beginning of the Lord’s ministry on earth. His first move was to build some devout disciples around Him. At the beginning of chapter 5, we see Jesus teaching by Lake Gennesaret. Jesus got into one of the fishermen’s boats by the name of Simon. After teaching, Jesus had Peter go out into the deep to let his nets down to catch some fish. Peter explained that they had been fishing all night and had not caught a thing. Yet, Peter gave it another shot and the bible tells us that they caught so many fish that their nets began to tear.

This kind of freaks Peter out. Jesus tells Peter not to be afraid, but then Jesus tells Peter something else, that Peter would from now on be catching people.

Now, if you know me you know that I really enjoy fishing. There is great peace and time of reflection being out on a boat and trying to use the right tackle to land that big trophy. Now, I will be the first to say that I’m not a great fisherman. Anything that I do know about fishing I have been taught by someone who knew and knows how to fish better than me.

When Jesus called Peter and the other disciples to fish for men, He didn’t just turn them loose. He showed them. If we continued in chapter 5 of Luke, we would see some of the Lord’s fishing tactics. You would see Him not just pray for people, but He touched people. He showed love not only to those who were easy to love but to the tax collectors and all of those who were outcasts to the rest of that society. There are many more fishing tactics to learn as you read the scripture.

The challenge and encouragement come with a new year. Let us be reminded that we too are called to be fishers of men. You may feel as I do when I’m out there on a boat that I don’t always know what I’m doing, but I have someone in the boat with me who knows more. They know how the fish think, how they move, and most importantly, what they are looking for.

Jesus is our supreme pro-fisherman. If we listen to Him, He will tell us and show us how to be the best fishermen that we can be. I guess the best way to finish is to invite you into the boat with me as we navigate through the waters of 2025.