Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. —Proverbs 18:1, esv
It's interesting to see how Jesus started His earthly ministry as He walked along the shores at the Sea of Galilee ..fishing.. but not for fish. He really had His Father and people on His mind and that's why He wouldn't live isolated. He'd get alone to pray regularly, but He also wanted to be out where the hungry people were. Do you remember when He came across Simon and his bro, Andy?
Yup, it was along the Sea of Galilee--that was one place where He called everyday fishermen to become His reverent and relevant disciples ..for life. He told them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men" (Mk. 1:17). This Friend of sinners saw what they each could become, and how they could be used of God once sin was dealt with. How encouraging for any of us!
And this same God calls each of us to closely follow Him, and also to fish as we infiltrate society rather isolate away from needy people.
I was once told about a church far away in an old Canadian fishing town. The place where it was located on the jagged edge of the frigid Northern Atlantic Ocean was originally chosen by the leadership due to the fact that this was where countless fishermen congregated, traded goods, came ashore to socialize and visited with their families who lived there.
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