Illegal Fishing

Good Morning and Greetings to all:

Our text today is Matthew 4:19

And he (Jesus) saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Many have heard of the saying "fishers of men" and what it represents. It represents people who have become a believer in Christ going out into the world to witness about Him. It would be like a person fishing out on a lake or ocean. We have heard people say - oh, he (name here) is a fisherman. A fisherman and "fishers of men" are two different roads but use the same concept. In other words, a fisherman has a rod, a weight, a hook and some bait. He then cast his line out (with hook and bait) to an area in the water where the fisherman thinks he can catch a fish. It is similar with "fishers of men" - they have been saved by the blood of Jesus, reading their bible, praying, fasting and then goes out into the world to find a spot to cast forth the word of God (witnessing) to see if they can catch some fish (souls).

Today's post is dealing with a trend I see going on in the body of Christ - I call it illegal fishing. If you are a true fisherman (I am not) and have been in tournaments, you understand that not everyone plays by the rules. There are guidelines that a fisherman must adhere to. Anywhere from filling out proper paperwork for registration, the boundaries one must stay in, how many can be in one boat, what kind of equipment and what type bait that can be used. If you fail to obey the rules, you will be disqualified.

You might say, what does this have to do with being "fishers of men"? Let me share a natural story that will give us a little spiritual insight. I have heard recently of a fisherman that had been disqualified from a tournament and banned from that prestigious tournament for life and some other competitions all for cheating. This fisherman would put a 2 ounce torpedo shape sinker on a treble hook and place it in the fish's mouth (9 fish all together). The idea is that the fisherman hoped the torpedo sinker (weight) would stay in the fish's mouth and not drop into his belly. As the bible says, you're sins will find you out. When it was time to weigh the fish, the fisherman presented three dead fish. Dead fish for weigh-ins are OK by the rules. The fish were weighed and everything seem to go smoothly for the fisherman. The dead fish from this tournament are filleted and the meat given to charity. This is where the fisherman's plan started to crumble. When the fish were fillet, the torpedo sinker did not stay in the mouth of the fish but went into the belly of the fish. The fisherman's sin (cheating) was discovered.

I believe there is illegal fishing going on in the body of Christ today. Yes, all we have to do is go out into the world and present the gospel of Jesus Christ. But, what is going on is that some are using weights to not catch but entice some to come to Jesus. A weight is something that can be heavy - like a load or a burden. Hebrews says ....let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Fishing with a weight isn't wrong but using it an improper way is. People nowadays are being fed a line of Jesus (freedom) and the world (weight) to hook them into the church. It sounds good but there is a mixing that shouldn't be going on. What are some of the weights that believers are using to entice people into the kingdom of God? Anywhere from promised riches, live like you want, God is a God of love and not wrath, you can still cling to your worldy music, movies and things and don't worry our God is the same as any other God. The list could go on and on but hopefully you see that there is some illegal fishing going on by so-called Christians.

Remember, the story of the fisherman who got caught - he was disqualified and so was his fish. Hmmmm. Just a thought.

Are you fishing by the rules of the Lord or by the popular conditions of the world?

Blessings
kc

Semper Fi

Good Early Morning to all:

It is 5:15am EST. At this early of an hour, I am reminded of my Marine boot camp days at Parris Island, SC. To all the future Marines and other Marines that are hitting the pavement at this hour - Semper Fidelis (Semper Fi).


Our text this morning is found in Mark 12:30

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all they heart, and with all thy should, and with all thy mind, and with all they strength: this is the first commandment.


Semper Fi is a Latin word that means - Always Faithful. Always faithful to what? In Marine world it is being faithful to God, Country and Corps. From day one the Marine (recruit) is taught these principles. Let's take these 3 words in reverse order. The recruit in boot camp is taught to always honor the service of the Marine Corps. This means not only the present but the history of this fine institution. Not only honoring the service of the Corps but honoring the country you defend. That means you will protect America at all costs, even dying for it. Not only a Marine is taught to honor the Corps and their Country but is also taught to honor God. Actually, there is not much teaching on that subject while a person is in boot camp - at least I don't recall. They do let recruits go to church on Sunday and have their freedom of religion. Basically what is taught is if you have a God - you may worship him. Nevertheless, the motto of the Marines is Semper Fi - Always Faithful. I believe the Marines can attest that through out their history, this word Semper Fi is just not a "nice" little saying but has brought together a unity among a group of people that no matter where you at in this world - it ignites a "kindred spirit" within the ones that have proudly worn the label United States Marine.

As a Marine is faithful to the Corps during his service, the question has to be ask of those that confess Jesus as their Lord - Are you Always Faithful to Him? You see, a Marine knows that the Corps isn't going anywhere. They know they wake up each morning without a thought about anything happening to the Corps. There is no worry or concern in that Marine's mind. But, they do have to get up each morning and conduct themselves by the honor code of Semper Fidelis. Their concern is to carry out their duties as a well trained, well behaved and well mannered Marine. They show their loyalty to the one that is taking care of them.

Where is your faithfulness, where is your loyalty at or to? Do you love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength? Are you faithful to the One that is Always Faithful to you?

Why is there a boot camp in the Marines? There are several reasons, but one is to weed out the "wanna be". To see one is for real and who is not. Make no mistake about, the Lord knows who is Faithful and who is Not! Which one are YOU!

Blessings