David Hayes was fishing with his granddaughter one afternoon. She had a little pink Barbie fishing rod that she had received for Christmas. When she needed to go to the bathroom, she asked her grandfather to hold her toy fishing pole.
Shortly after she left, he felt a yank on the line. Within minutes he had pulled in a huge catfish.
It turned out to be the North Carolina state record at 21 pounds and 1 ounce. And at 32 inches long, it was 2 inches longer than the toy rod-and-reel it was caught with.
Maybe you shouldn’t tell your wife that story if you’re hoping to spend $300 on new fishing gear!
Jesus once said to a group of fishermen, “Follow me and I will show you how to fish for people.” So, if you aren’t fishing for people, you aren’t following Jesus. Part of following him means looking for opportunities to draw people to his message.
Now, some of us may avoid fishing for people until we’ve completed lots of training and we’re prepared to respond to every possible question. In the end, though, this could turn out to be an excuse for neglecting evangelism. Good preparation is valuable for the work of sharing our faith, of course. But it’s no replacement for simple obedience.
As we venture into a conversation with someone about our faith, we may feel as self-conscious as David Hayes holding his granddaughter’s pink Barbie fishing rod. But David Hayes can testify that we can never predict what can happen when we simply put a line in the water.
So, put a line out this week and see what happens!
This is our last Friday delivery of Winning Ways. The weekly devotions aren’t going away. We’re just moving the delivery day to Wednesdays. So, look for something in your inbox starting next Wednesday. By putting it in the middle of your week, we hope it will be that weekly shot of encouragement that will get you through the rest of your week!
--Tom
Sign up here to receive Tom Goodman’s weekly devotional in your email inbox. Tom serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter.