BAPTISTS and Other Fishy Subjects tagged: , , ,

BAPTISTS and Other Fishy Subjects

Posted by in Bible & Theology

For my grandson’s 15th birthday, he went to Wal-Mart and purchased fishing equipment–rods, flies, hooks, bait and tackle box. Excitement sparkled in his eyes as he shared what he planned to do with his gear. “I’m going to go to the reservation and fish the lakes and bring back fish and stock my pond.” He took me out to see his acre-pond the other day. It has a few crappies and possibly some small bass. It’s a secluded pond shrouded in trees. I watched as frogs jumped in from shore. He caught a turtle there last week. Jordy’s goal is to catch fish in other lakes and ponds, stock his pond and let them multiply so he can have greater fishing experiences in days ahead. It’s an idea worth pondering.

Jesus wants us to be fishers of men’s souls in this world. Our goal is to bring them out of the world’s ponds and return them to stock the Kingdom’s. As we feed them and grow them into disciples, they multiply and make more disciples. Sometimes we lose sight of that goal as we cast our lines into the waters of everyday life. Salvation is all there really is to life. We can get so caught up in getting all the right equipment and using the most tantalizing bait that we drift away from the deepest truth we own as Christians–Jesus and He alone.

“Since all this is true, we ought to pay much closer attention than ever to the truths that we have heard, lest in any way we drift past [them] and slip away.” Hebrews 2:1.

My pastor shared a story with us a few Sundays ago. He and our music minister, Harry, were fishing in a boat. They were having a great time casting lines and reeling in fish. Suddenly something poked Bro. Doug’s neck. Harry fished on, unaware, as Bro. Doug ducked and slapped at the intrusive branches and limbs scraping his back. While their attention was focused on the pleasure at hand, their boat had drifted ashore.

Sometimes our lives are like that. We are so caught up in our pursuits, the enjoyment of the moment, the fulfillment of the goal before us, we fail to notice we’re drifting in the wrong direction until we’re battling the branches of life.

Much has been written in our blogs lately about the direction in which our convention is going. Much has been argued, debated, dissected, surveyed and scrutinized. At times I’ve thought we were gutting fish rather than catching them. Some folks are writing resolutions to call attention to our drifting ashore. Some are writing proposals. Some are calling for more folks to join in our expedition by new technological means. Some are placing their ideas on the line and entering an arena of leadership hopes. Some are choosing which fish to catch and release and which to keep for stocking their ponds. Some are baiting their hooks and deciding on which fly will indeed fly.

Today I contemplate not who is in charge of the SBC, because ultimately there is only One in charge. I do think of Who’s leading our fishing expeditions though. Sometimes it seems most of our efforts are just that–ours. Unless we follow the leading of the Master’s voice, our fishing will bring us naught. We will grow weary and find ourselves fighting over which bait is best, which line is the strongest, which pole is better. Our lines will become entangled with all our best efforts and we’ll find ourselves back on the shoreline having fished all night with nothing to show for it.

I wonder if all the energy we expend on preparing for the fishing trip is superseding the goal at hand. I wonder if all the debates over which bait is best and which pond is better is simply casting pebbles in the pond and scaring away all the fish. I wonder sometimes if we are simply fishing in all the wrong places. selahV

[copyrighted, SelahV Today, 2008]