Santiago quickly scribbled a note for his mother--"Gone fishin'"--then grabbed his pole and bait and hurried down to the river. When he reached his favorite spot, he saw a boy already sitting there. He hesitated, then decided to stay at that spot anyway. "Catch anything?" he asked as the boy jerked his line completely out of the water.
The boy looked up. "Nah. This isn't a very good spot."
Santiago couldn't believe his ears. This was the best spot on the whole river!
"I've been sitting here all morning without any bites," the boy complained as he jerked his line up again.
"Well, you have to be patient," said Santiago. "How often do you pop your line out of the water like that?"
The boy shrugged. "Every few minutes. Just checkin' to see if a fish has eaten the worm yet." He frowned. "Never happens."
"You fish much?" asked Santiago, sure he already knew the answer.
The boy shook his head. "Nope. First time."
"What's your name?" Santiago asked.
"Pete Fisher." The boy grinned. "I figure anybody with the name Fisher oughta learn how to fish."
Santiago sat down. "Pete," he said, "we've gotta talk." After baiting his hook, Santiago cast the line into the river and proceeded to give Pete advice on fishing.
At dinner that night, Santiago told his family about Pete. "He still pulls his line up way too often, but he's getting better. I'm going to help him."
"Good," said Dad. "His name reminds me of Peter in the Bible. He was a fisher too. One day Jesus came to Peter and said, Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!' Santiago, you have a perfect opportunity to fish' for Pete."
"I'm not going to fish for him," said Santiago. "I'm going to teach him how to fish so he can catch fish for himself."
Dad laughed. "What I mean is, you can fish the way Jesus was talking about. You can help Pete know more about Jesus and what He's done to save us. Perhaps God will use you to bring Pete to Him." Lynn Hansen
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you go fishing? If you’re a follower of Jesus, He’s made you a fisher of people. That kind of fishing doesn’t require wiggly worms or floppy fish. It requires loving others and being a friend to them. It requires prayer and a willingness to tell people what Jesus has done for you. And it’s much more satisfying than ordinary fishing. Be a fisher of people by bringing others to Jesus.
TODAY'S KEY VERSE: Matthew 4:19 (KJV)
Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” (NLT)