Mark 1:1-28 In order to follow someone or something, one has to leave something or someone. When Jesus said to Simon and Andrew, “Come, and I will make you fishers of men,” they did just that. They forsook their nets and followed Him.
One morning I asked my heavenly Father why those fishermen left instantly when Jesus asked them to follow Him. The response I heard in my spirit was that Jesus had a compelling compassion for people. God became a man, and He dwelled among us to identify with our weakness. Jesus was touched with the feelings of all our weak areas. When He saw Simon and Andrew, His heart was moved with compassion. That love was instantly transmitted to them, and they could not help but follow Him. The love of Jesus compelled them like a magnet, and their focus was no longer on their occupation, but on Jesus.
The invitation was clear, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” People are much more important than jobs and money. To fish for men is an eternal occupation that pays eternal dividends. People are God’s special treasure and His inheritance. We are His inheritance, and He has invested His all in us. Jesus was asking Andrew and Simon to become investors in this eternal inheritance-people.
Are you a people person? When you have seen Jesus in the spirit, there is only one response you can have. Your heart will leap within you, but that is not all. Your heart will be moved with compassion for all the people you know, and even some you do not know. When you see Jesus in the Spirit, you will leave behind your focus on your job and money, and your new eternal occupation will be fishing—fishing for men. As you fish for men, all you have to do is throw out the line with the bait. God by His Holy Spirit will pull the fish (people) into the net of His kingdom. The line you throw out is prayer for that person you want to come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. The bait is God’s Word. God’s Word never returns void. It always accomplishes the things it is sent out to do. The Spirit of God does the rest. Remember to share with the person you are witnessing to that God cleans His fish after He catches them. So many people resist accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior because they think they have to clean up their act. Only God by the power of His Holy Spirit can do the cleansing needed in a life, and the cleansing agent is the blood of Jesus. If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Want to go fishing with me today?
Jesus, sometimes I lose my focus, and I forget why I am here on earth. I am here to be a fisher of men, and I need You to help me to stay focused. Help me to see each person I meet today as Your special treasure. Help me to be co-investor with You in their lives.
READ: Exodus 39:1-40:38; Mark 1:1-28; Psalm 35:1-16; Proverbs 9:11-12
