Devotional for Board Meeting

Luke 5:1-11

5Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, ²he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. ³He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. ⁴When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” ⁵Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” ⁶When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. ⁷So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” ⁹For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; ¹⁰and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” ¹¹When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

I once read this great illustration describing the task of fisherman, during the time of Jesus, as they prepared their nets for their next fishing expedition. I had never given much thought to the mundane task of preparing to fish. However, I realized that one of the most important skills of these fishermen was making and mending their nets. The nets were made of linen, thus, they had to be cleaned and dried each day, or they would rot and wear out. Therefore, much of the fisherman’s day was spent tending to these nets, in order to successfully catch fish.

          I do not think it was a mistake that Jesus was drawn to fisherman, in his search for disciples. I mean, he could have found other carpenters like himself, but he did not. Instead, he chose fisherman, disciples that understood what it means to have the patience to undertake the mundane tasks, which may or may not reap instant benefits. If you think about it, the leadership of the Church today is much like those fishermen disciples. So much of our time is spent tending to the nets in order to fish for men. For example, preparing budgets, instituting programs, organizing Sunday School classes, and planning for Worship. These are tasks that are often forgotten when the net full of men, women and children are pulled into the boat of our Church.

          As we prepare for our meeting tonight, let us remember that even Jesus understood the necessity of the tasks which others may think are mundane. Let us make, mend, and clean our nets with joyful hearts, knowing God is using our labor to fish for his people. Amen.