Keeping The Fish

I was once fishing with 2 of my nephews. There were 3 of us and we only had 2 fishing poles. So we were taking turns with the fishing poles. Whoever was not fishing was tasked with keeping the stringer. The stringer had all the fish that we had already caught. While me and one nephew were fishing we looked over and didn’t see the stringer. We asked my other nephew where it was. Apparently he just dropped it on the ground and didn’t secure it. The fish just pulled it into the water and disappeared. So we lost every fish that we had already caught. I’m not sure why he did this. Be it he was bored, he didn’t feel like he was getting enough time fishing or he just didn’t want to do it. Either way he had lost our fish. We were frustrated because all we had worked for was gone. 

We are supposed to be fishers of men. We are supposed to reach the lost. Sometimes though we may be tasked with keeping the ones we’ve already caught. 

Barnabas is a good example of this. We find him doing this throughout the book of Acts. He’s first referred to as the son of encouragement (Acts 4:36 NET). We find him bringing Saul to the apostles after they wouldn’t receive him in Acts 9. We find him not willing to lose John Mark in Acts 15. Barnabas was not just a fisher of men, but he was a keeper of them too. 

This may not always be a glorious task. It may not come with much recognition. You may even feel like you’re not really contributing. Know this though. Every conversation that uplifts, every pat on the back, every word of encouragement. This is securing the stringer. This is keeping the fish.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 BBE So then, go on comforting and building up one another, as you have been doing.