How a Saw Caught a Fish

One day at the Murray’s house, a saw caught a fish! Doesn’t that sound strange? It’s probably not the kind of saw you are thinking about, and it’s almost certainly not the kind of fish you are thinking about.
The saw that caught the fish wasn’t a hand saw; it was an electric band saw! That’s a saw that cuts wood quickly, makes lots of noise, and can be used to cut out shapes in wood.
The “fish” was the kind the Lord Jesus talked about when He said to Peter, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:1919And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Matthew 4:19)). The “fish” was a young man!
When the Murrays moved into their new house, one of the first things they wanted to do was to meet the people in their neighborhood, especially the children and teenagers. They wanted to tell them the good news that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:1515This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:15)).
Several of the younger children were so friendly that the first time the Murrays walked up the sidewalk to their new home, the children walked right in the door with them! They had their first Bible story time with them before the boxes and clothes were unpacked.
But getting the older boys to come in was not so easy. Teenagers always seem to have games to play, or places to go, or friends to talk to. Besides, one of the mothers had told them not to come to the Murrays’ house because maybe the new neighbors did not like them. (She did not know that they wanted to be “fishers of men”!) The Murrays knew that they must have some help to “catch” the young men in the neighborhood.
One day not long after they moved in, they took a band saw outside and began to cut pieces of wood. The saw made a lot of noise, and it wasn’t long before some heads began to appear over the fence.
“Hello!” said Mr. and Mrs. Murray.
“What are you doing?” they asked.
They explained a little and invited them into the yard and let them use the saw and other tools. The saw had not caught any fish yet, but they were nibbling! James was one of the boys who heard the saw that day. Soon he and his brothers and friends began coming to the Murrays’ house often to use the tools to make things out of wood. Each time, after they worked for a while, they sat down to read God’s Word, the Bible, and to tell them the wonderful news that “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)).
James and his friends had never heard this wonderful news before. One friend said, “I’ve never had neighbors talk to me about the Bible like this.” James listened carefully to God’s Word, asked many questions and kept coming back to work with the tools. The young men made baseball bats turned on the lathe, wooden plates, a lamp and wooden boxes. James made a tall bookshelf for his room at home. And each time he came over, he listened to the message that he needed to be saved from his sins before Jesus comes.
After a while, James realized that the message he was hearing from the Bible was far more important than the things he was making with tools. He accepted the Lord Jesus as his Savior — he was “caught” for the Lord!
When the Lord Jesus catches a young man, He does something different than a fisherman does with a fish. The Lord Jesus catches men in order to set them free! “[You] shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:3232And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32)).
Now that James was caught for Jesus, he was free from his sins. One night the Murrays asked James, “What made you sure that you are saved?”
Have you been “caught” for Jesus? Are you sure, like James, that your sins are forgiven? If you are not caught for Jesus, then you will be caught by the devil. His hooks hurt, and he is not nice to his captives. He wants to take people to hell. Come to Jesus for salvation today and you will find what it means to be free from your sins and free from hell.
James is now doing some fishing of his own. He is trying to catch fish with pencils! He takes pencils with Bible verses on them to school. When anyone needs a pencil, he gives them one and tells them they can keep it. He hopes they will read it and be saved from their sins  ... caught for Jesus. If you are already saved, did you know that you can use many things for this kind of fishing? You can be a fisher of men by playing a guitar and singing to others. Or you can share your toys and tell others about the Savior. You can share tracts and papers like this one. You could even use chocolate chip cookies as you fish for boys and girls and men and women.
If your sins are not forgiven, then Jesus is fishing for you right now with this paper. We hope you will let Him forgive your sins and you will find how wonderful God’s freedom is. “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that [trusts] in Him” (Psalm 34:88O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. (Psalm 34:8)).
Memory Verse: “He saith unto them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:1919And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Matthew 4:19)
Messages of God’s Love 10/13/2024