Rippling waves gently lapped against the boat. The low hum of the trawling motor drew my attention away from my book as Dad maneuvered the boat along the shore. I squinted through the bright sunlight and watched as he cast his fishing line into the water. He slowly reeled it back in, luring the hungry bass with his bait. Sometimes he met with success, but mostly it was a waiting game.
When Jesus chose His twelve disciples, He began at the Sea of Galilee. Peter and his brother Andrew, both fishermen by trade, were casting nets into the water. Jesus called out to them, saying, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Through following Jesus during His ministry, these two disciples learned to lure men to God with the “bait” of the Gospel.
While my dad loves to fish in his free time, he is also one of the hardest-working people I know (Colossians 3:23). Every weekday of my childhood, he rose early in the morning to beat the San Francisco Bay Area traffic to the jobsite so he could provide for our family. When he got home and on Saturdays, he took care of chores around the house to be a good steward of God’s blessings to him and to establish a comfortable home for us (Matthew 25:21). Sundays were the Lord’s Day. Dad made sure we kids had a good night’s sleep beforehand (no Saturday night slumber parties for us) so we would be wide awake for Sunday worship in the morning (Exodus 20:8). A plaque that hung next to the entryway of our house displayed his goal for our family. It read: “…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).
After he retired, I watched how Dad handled the shift in his life. He used his newly-found free time to serve others, whether that meant doing yardwork for a neighbor or helping a friend with a project. He devoted himself to reading and understanding God’s Word. He joined a discipleship group and studied how to disciple other men in the faith. To this day, he fills his days with learning and ministry. He has grown from a sport fisherman to a “fisher of men,” just like Jesus called Peter and Andrew (Matthew 4:19).
I’m blessed to have been raised by such a man of God. Not everyone is so fortunate. Praise the Lord that He is our Abba Father. He is the matchless Comforter (II Corinthians 1:3-5), the ultimate Protector (II Samuel 22:3), and the perfect Provider (Philippians 4:19). Father God is capable of filling every void in our lives.
Romans 8:14-17 – “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.”
Happy Father’s Day!
Jessie Chamberlain
Family Radio Staff