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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“But now I will send for many
fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will catch them. After that I will
send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill
and from the crevices of the rocks. My eyes are on all their ways; they are not
hidden from Me, nor is their sin concealed from My eyes. I will repay them
double for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled My land
with the lifeless forms of their vile images and have filled My inheritance
with their detestable idols.”
Jeremiah 16:16-18
This ends today’s reading from God's holy
word. Thanks be to God.
Trouble was coming.
The Israelites had pushed God too far, testing His patience
and frankly treating Him with disregard and disdain through their sinful
behavior. God had ordered them to have no other gods before Him and yet they
had placed their hope and trust in the pagan gods and idols over Him, even
being as bold as to construct altars to these false gods within God’s holy
temple in Jerusalem.
It was if the people of God had decided to test His resolve
and see how much they could get away with.
Bad move on their part.
For as we see in our scripture passage today, what they
were doing was in full sight of God. None of their transgressions were hidden
from Him as He kept His almighty eyes on their ways. They defiled His land with
the lifeless forms of vile images and filled His inheritance with detestable
idols. And so in return, He would show them who was in charge and that there is
always a price to be paid for wickedness, a price that in the case of the
Israelites was going to be doubled.
The punishment God was about to levy on His people would
come in the way of attacking armies from Babylon who would besiege the southern
kingdom of Judah and its prized holy city of Jerusalem. During the assault, the
once blessed land would be laid to waste with all structures destroyed and left
in ruins to include God’s temple. The people would hunted like animals and
fished for like those looking for a prize catch, captured and taken away like
trophies to a foreign land where they would live apart from God for seventy
years. If they wanted to abandon God and turn from His will and ways, then they
could see just how bad life could be separated from His goodness, guidance, and
protection.
Yes, fishers and hunters of men were coming on the
Israelites of Jeremiah’s time and they were bringing judgment but today, we
find fishers and hunters of men and women called to do so in a different sense.
Look at these words from the New Testament, words that came from Jesus Himself:
“Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of
men.” Matthew 4:19 (NKJV)
The scene was the calling of His first disciples, the
brothers Simon Peter and Andrew, who were casting their nets into the sea as
Jesus addressed them. They were fisherman by trade but the fish Jesus was
speaking of were of much more value than those that would be pulled up out of
the sea. You see, Jesus wanted to use them (and all of those who place their
trust In Him today) to hunt and seek people in an effort to catch them for
Jesus and in doing so, bring them to the salvation promise He offered.
Catching real fish led to the death of the fish.
Catching people and leading them to Jesus led to life, a
new life in Him for the present and an everlasting life with Him for their
future.
Jesus sent all of His appointed fishers and hunters with a
single purpose and assignment. We know it best as the Great Commission:
“Go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with
you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
That’s it. This is our charter from Jesus Himself. There
are no options given here. As His fishers and hunters of men and women, we are
to all go and make disciples of the people we catch, leading them to baptism in
the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, while teaching them to obey all that
Jesus commanded.
It’s as simple as that.
But note this one important point that Jesus made for He
did not send us off to carry out His Great Commission without His presence. No,
He assured His disciples in New Testament days as well as all disciples who
would follow in their footsteps that He would be with them to the very end of
the age.
In other words, as we fish and hunt for people to bring to
His salvation, Jesus is always part of our fishing and hunting expeditions,
walking alongside us.
Friends, there is much work to be done with countless
people in the world yet to be captured and brought to Jesus. We are not called
as captors who are bringing people to judgment like the Babylonians. Rather, we
are called to bring people to a life that is beyond imagination, a life
everlasting where there will be no more sin or pain or hardship or affliction
or suffering, only peace and light and love forever.
It’s time to get to work and help others find this glory.
It’s time to start fishing and hunting as Jesus commanded
and to do so in earnest.
Amen.
In
Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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