“And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him” [Matthew 4: 18 – 20 KJV].

“And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him. And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,  And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils: [Mark 3: 13 – 15].

Let us begin by reflecting on the following heart-searching and thought-provoking questions: Do you still have a burden and compassion for non-believers and sinners out there, in your community or place of work?

Secondly, are you still mindful of the fact that the gospel of Christ must be preached to every person and nation?

Thirdly, are you mindful of the fact that every kindred, tongue, people and nations are supposed to be represented, singing in heaven?

Our texts ought to remind/awaken us to our God-given responsibility concerning the lost, who Jesus came to seek and save. God chose us to be the agents through whom His love and grace will reach the lost. As long as you live for Christ, as a genuine child of God, you must be a fisher of men regardless of your career/profession,

“One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers – Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew – throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him” [Matthew 4: 18 – 20].

We ought to make sharing the gospel our career as well – God gave us this mandate, which is a great honour. Some of the principles guiding soul winning/evangelism include the realisation that everyone needs Christ and remembering that God loves every person and died for us all – for our salvation .

One of the places God expects us to fish for men is from our respective households. Do our lives show our relations and other people in our homes that we are Christians and they should follow us? Are you Christ-like? Though none of us is perfect, we must intentionally live out Christ-filled lives. We must also realise and appreciate the value that God places on a soul:

“Jesus travelled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom… When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them… He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields” [Matthew 9: 35 – 38]. We can also meditate on Matthew 16: 24 – 26, which says:

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”

May God help us, in Jesus’ name. Amen.