Ready to Go Fishing?

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. – 2 Timothy 4:1-4 ESV

Every few weeks one of the grandkids will come for a sleepover at Mimi and Papaw’s house. Easton’s last sleepover was in early February. I drove to Canonsburg to bring him home with me for his extended stay. It was during the bitter cold spell of only single digit highs. When I reached the top of my son’s driveway, Easton was standing outside waiting on me. As I stepped out of my vehicle, I asked him why he was outdoors when it was so cold. He didn’t answer the question, but instead asked, “Papaw, can we go fishing?” He was serious! He wasn’t thinking of ice fishing, but just of what we  normally do together in the spring, summer and fall. I said, “Of course not, it’s too cold! When the weather gets warmer, then we’ll go.”

The point here is that my grandson was ready and enthusiastic to go fishing, regardless of what season it was. That’s the same attitude Paul encourages us to have in the above passage. “Preach the word, be ready in season and out of season.” Often we may not feel like sharing God’s word, reading it, or studying it. Our schedules get crowded, our minds get cluttered, so it just doesn’t seem to be the right time for us to delve into Scriptural things. Or, we know we need to speak to someone about his/her relationship with Christ, but there never seems to be a good occasion for that kind of conversation.

Paul’s admonition here to Timothy, and to us, is to be ready and eager to share regardless of the circumstances. Life is too short to become enamored with temporal things and neglect eternal things. Keep your mind and heart fixed on the things of God. Always be prepared and willing to speak on behalf of your Lord.

The Apostle Paul also says in Ephesians 5:15-16, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” The time we have in this life is precious and quickly passing. Eternity, however, is forever. It has no end.

So regardless of the season, regardless of the circumstances, be ready and eager to “go fishing.” Jesus says to his disciples in Matthew 4:19 “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Being prepared to fish at a local pond or lake is an important thing for a Papaw with an enthusiastic grandson.  Being prepared to fish for the souls of men and women, however, is far more important. Are you ready? Are you eager? Paul demonstrates the right attitude when he says in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes."

With a shepherd’s heart,

Pastor David