Are We Fishing for Souls or Have We Become Keepers of Aquariums?

We will start with eels. They are slimy and slippery. You can hardly find them because they are never around. 

There is the mudfish. It lives in the mud and slings dirt. So, if it slings dirt, that could mean that it causes trouble.

There is the bass. Some are largemouth and some are smallmouth, but they are all mouth. Someone who is all mouth is generally one that is classified as a talker – all talk but no action and not productive.

A flounder is a bottom fish. Their eyes migrate to one side of its body. They ambush their prey. I like to think of them as selfish. They cannot agree with anyone and are self-centered.

A salmon goes against the current. They leap as they go upstream. 

Puffer fish are poisonous. They blow up when they feel threatened. 

The catfish troll the bottom of the water as scavengers because they sink rather than float.

The crayfish, often called a crawfish or mudbug, resembles a lobster because it is a crustacean and not a fish. I chose this one because of how it acts; it walks backwards. Like some people, it sneaks out the back when work needs to be done or when the work starts.

The goldfish is immensely popular. The goldfish at one time symbolized good luck and fortune, but that has since died down. They are used for display in many aquariums. It struts around with a look-at -me attitude.

We may not have ability to “fish” in the natural sense, but the question is, are we willing to go fishing for lost souls? Do we have a willingness to serve in whatever capacity God calls us to? What have we been called to do? We are to let the light of Jesus shine through our lives before everyone that we come in contact with (Matthew 5:16). We are to be separate (2 Corinthians 6:17). We are told in Matthew 28:19 to go and teach. We are to go into the world and preach the gospel (Mark 16:15).

There are a couple of questions that we need to ask ourselves as we go about our daily Christian life. Have we examined our spiritual “boats” and our spiritual “tackle boxes?” Are we using the right line, the right bait, etc.?

And as the title of this article suggests, have we become keepers of aquariums? That means are we swiping fish from other fishbowls (other churches), and not reaching out for lost souls? Are souls not being saved because our nets have been torn and we haven’t repaired them? Maybe it is time that we should check our hearts and our lives.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/x-reflexnaja

Chris Swanson answered the call into the ministry over 20 years ago. He has served as a Sunday School teacher, a youth director along with his wife, a music director, an associate pastor, and an interim pastor. He is a retired Navy Chief Hospital Corpsman with over 30 years of combined active and reserve service. You can check out his work here.