Derek sighed.
He wished a fish would take the bait on his
hook. When the bobber finally jiggled,
he jerked the pole quickly, but there was no
fish, and most of the worm was gone.
“That must be the ‘one that got
away,’” said Grandpa with a chuckle as he
helped Derek put fresh bait on the hook.
“Try again.”
A little later,
Derek pulled up a fine-looking fish.
“I got one this time!” he exclaimed,
taking it off the hook and putting it in the
pail of water. After Derek and Grandpa caught
several more fish, Grandpa put the oars in
place and rowed for shore.
“Jesus talked
to his disciples about fishing,” said
Grandpa as he pulled on the oars.
“Some of them had fished for a living, so
they understood fish talk. Do you
remember what Jesus said they should do?”
“Be fishers
of men,” replied Derek promptly.
“We sing that song in Sunday school—but I
don’t get it. How do you fish for
people?”
“You offer
them food—spiritual food—just like you
offered worms to the fish in the lake,”
answered Grandpa. “Jesus called Himself the
‘Bread of Life,’ so when you tell others
about Him, it’s like offering them food.”
Derek thought
about that for a moment.
“Sometimes they don’t ‘bite,’
though,” he said.
Grandpa shook
his head. “No, they don’t,” he
said. “Some don’t want to hear about
Jesus at all. Others are like fish that
only nibble. They’re sort of interested, but
not too much. They leave after hearing
only a little about Jesus. But . . .”
Grandpa’s eyes sparkled like the water
around the boat, “other people are like the
fish we caught. They want to know all
they can, and they accept Jesus as Savior.”
Derek grinned
as he admired the fish in the bucket.
“So we have to keep fishing,” he
said. “Even when it seems like
they’re not biting, we have to keep telling
people about Jesus.”
HOW
ABOUT YOU? Are you a Christian?
If you are, you should also be a
“fisher of men.” Watch for
opportunities to talk about Jesus.
Let others know that you’re thankful to God
for saving you. Talk about things
you’ve learned from the Bible or about a
prayer that God has answered. Tell someone
about a special blessing God has given
you—some special thing He’s done for you.
Learn Bible verses that you can share with
others in certain situations. Be patient
and faithful—and keep on fishing.
TO
MEMORIZE: Mark 1:17
“Jesus said unto them, Come ye after Me, and
I will make you to become fishers of
men.” (KJV)
"‘Come,
follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make
you fishers of men.’" (NIV)
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