Fishers of Men: Hard Working

We’re going to take a look at John 21 as we focus on applying the character traits of fishermen to our everyday lives (read Part 1 here). Please take some time to read John 21:1-17. Today’s character trait: Hard Working.

Commercial fishing is quite different than spending a leisurely afternoon with your fishing pole dropped into the nearest pond or lake. 😉 Being a commercial fisherman is hard work! It isn’t an easy–or glamourous–job. They have to be hard working. They work long hours. Physical labor. It’s a competitive business, so they have to put in diligent work to stay afloat (financially). Imagine, too, that the physical labor to be a fisherman in Peter’s day would have been even more demanding–without any of the technological advancements we have in our day. 

As we pick up the story in John 21, Jesus Christ had been crucified, buried, and risen again. He had appeared to the disciples while they were hiding for fear of the Jews and now He appears to them again…

Peter (and six other disciples) had returned to fishing. This was their normal, what they were comfortable doing. Peter, Andrew, and James and John (the sons of Zebedee) were called from a life of fishing to follow Christ.

Matthew 4:18-22

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.

And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.

And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

The disciples had tried to go back to normal, but after following Christ one can never really return to “normal.” These men had walked closely with Jesus–something our Savior wants for all of us. He desires we would have a close, personal relationship with Him. Not just stop at salvation. As Christians, we should continue to grow spiritually. “Normal” is not what the LORD wants for us!

Maybe we’ve committed to work on an area of our lives…

• Developing a daily, consistent time with the LORD in His Word and prayer
• Serving in a specific area of our church or even our homes
• Setting a higher standard in certain areas of our lives to guard our hearts and minds from worldliness
• Guarding our thoughts, words, and actions to be more Christ-like

We take steps to work on that, but then we find ourselves going back to normal, falling back into those old habits. God will continue to pursue us–He won’t let us go back to “normal.”

So here in our text, we see Jesus came to Peter and the other disciples to show them that they couldn’t go back to their old way of life. They had a calling on their lives–to be fishers of men (and so do we).

Now, you may be thinking, what does this have to do with our charcter trait of being hard working? Well, let’s take a look at what the Bible has to say about work and our Christian life in general:

Ecclesiastes 9:10

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

Colossians 3:17, 23-24

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

It was these verses that the LORD used to show me years ago that everything I did–even cleaning the house–was to be done for His honor and glory. Everything I did was to be done heartily–-with all my heart. From that, the phrase, “No half jobs” became a mantra in our home.

I’m sure my kids didn’t always love that lesson the LORD gave me. 😉 “No half jobs” became the standard for everything–their chores, schoolwork, activities, and the things we did for the LORD.

Now think back with me to that idea of attempting to return to “normal” after following Christ or after He’s prompted you to make some changes in your life. Returning to “normal” or stopping short of God’s intended purpose for your life is a half job. And a half job is not worthy of our Lord and Savior – in any area of our life.