Our Daily Bread Designs Bible Verse Thursday Challenge #64 - Go Fish

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of Men."  ~Mark 1:16-18

 It was early in the morning. Few people were on the shore at that hour. About the only people active that early in the morning were the weary fishermen who were just finishing another hard night of fishing on the Sea of Galilee. In one boat, two brothers stand while they cast their nets into the sea and drag them back into the boat, hoping to catch a few more fish to send to market. In another boat nearby, two brothers from a different family sit while they mend their nets, preparing them for the next night of fishing, with the hopes that the haul will be just a little bit better.

Things are winding down and all the men are anxious to get their catch to market and then go home to get some rest. But, as they finish their activities for that morning, a man passes by along the shoreline. He calls out to the men in the boats, invites them to come follow Him. When He does, four of the men in the boats leave their nets and boats behind to follow this man as His disciples.

His call to them is simple, “Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.” Yet, it was a call that changed their lives forever! For Jesus did takes these men, these simple Galilean fishermen and He transformed them into some of the greatest “fishers of men” the world has ever seen! I am interested in this passage, because I am convinced that Jesus wants to do in your life and mine just what He did in the lives of these men. He wants to take us, just like we are with all our faults, failures and rough edges and He wants to transform us into fishers of men. This passage gives us a few insights into how this can come to pass. Let’s look into these verses as we think together on the thought: Becoming Fishers Of Men. If we are going to become “Fishers of Men”, then we must follow the right person.

Notice that these men left everything to follow Jesus. The word “followed” means “to cleave to another, conforming to His example”. In other words, these men left their nets, their boats and life as they knew it, to cleave to Jesus and learn from Him!

And learn they did! They saw Jesus go into places and interact with people that most religious, upstanding citizens would have nothing to do with! (the Woman at the well, John 4; a leper, Mark 1, a demoniac; Mark 5, a sinful woman, Luke 7; a woman taken in adultery, John 8; A Gentile woman with a sick daughter, Mark 7.)

Do you get the picture? Jesus taught them this truth: Every life matters to God! If these disciples had followed most of us around, they would have learned that people like us matter. People in our economic bracket; people with our ethnic background; people with our skin color; people with out religious background, etc, they all matter. But, if anyone is different, then they are off limits. Not so with Jesus! He loved them all and reached out to everyone, regardless of who they were or where they were! (Note: Aren’t you glad that He didn’t put restrictions on the kind of people He would love? If He had, then He wouldn’t have chosen you and me!)

What am I saying? When you follow the right person, you learn the truth that God doesn’t want anyone to perish, that Jesus came to die for sinners,  and that the Gospel message is to be preached everywhere to everyone!

The fact is, He has already equipped you for the fishing trip.  So, get those nets mended, get after Jesus, let Him show you where to fish and go to it! The harvest, after all, is His responsibility!  

 Your challenge this week is to create a project using this scripture or another verse that reminds us He has invited us all to be fishers of men!  When uploading your project, please use keyword ODBDBVT64 and then hop over to Our Daily Bread Designs Forum and share it with us!

Have a blessed day!