Complain or fish?

Thought for the day

A game warden noticed how a particular fellow named Sam consistently caught more fish than anyone else, whereas the other guys would only catch three or four a day. Sam would come in off the lake with a boat full.

Stringer after stringer was always packed with freshly caught trout. The warden, curious, asked Sam his secret. The successful fisherman invited the game warden to accompany him and observe. So the next morning the two met at the dock and took off in Sam's boat. When they got to the middle of the lake, Sam stopped the boat, and the warden sat back to see how it was done.

Sam's approach was simple. He took out a stick of dynamite, lit it, and threw it in the air. The explosion rocked the lake with such a force that dead fish immediately began to surface. Sam took out a net and started scooping them up.

Well, you can imagine the reaction of the game warden. When he recovered from the shock of it all, he began yelling at Sam. "You can't do this! I'll put you in jail, buddy! You will be paying every fine there is in the book!"

Sam, meanwhile, set his net down and took out another stick of dynamite. He lit it and tossed it in the lap of the game warden with these words, "Are you going to sit there all day complaining, or are you going to fish?"

Seems to me we have two similar options as Christians -- we can spend our time complaining or we can "fish." Jesus, of course, used the concept of fishing to describe the work of evangelism ("Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." -- Matthew 4:19). The method we use does not involve dynamite, but it does involve the word from which dynamite comes to us -- "dunamis," the Greek word for "power."

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." (Romans 1:16)

I've known some folks in the church who use the "dunamis" of the gospel to fish for souls, and I've known other folks content to do nothing but sit back and complain about what everybody else is or isn't doing. It's your choice -- Are you going to complain or are you going to fish?

Verses

Mark 5:36

But Jesus heard what the men were saying, and so He said to Jairus, "You mustn't be afraid. The one thing you must do is keep on believing!"

Deuteronomy 7:14

"You shall be blessed above all peoples; there shall not be a male or female barren among you or among your livestock.

2 Corinthians 3:6

He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Colossians 4:2

Keep an open line of communication to God with a grateful attitude and be responsive to what he says.

Proverbs 28:27

He who gives to the poor will not lack, but he who hides his eyes will have many curses.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, though we cannot see You in the heavenly kingdom, You do see us as we walk the pilgrim pathway. You guide us through this earthly maze of sudden turns, strange territory, and even the disappointing dead ends. Though we may be jostled from time to time in the midst of finding our way we are assured that You watch over us; our going in and our coming out. You know our heart’s cry and You strengthen us as we choose to walk the path of righteousness. Our hearts are fully committed to You and we look to You, our Father, for all our spiritual, physical, emotional and financial needs. Your continuous spiritual presence brings sweet fellowship to our soul. Amen.