A BEAUTIFUL PARABLE – THE LORD FISHING

December 8, 1998 - Given to Bob Jones written by Keith Davis

**************************************

This past Sunday during the early morning hours, the Lord gave Bob a beautiful vision. Even though the vision was intended for a specific individual, the Truth conveyed in it was so powerful that we felt it could be shared publicly.

In the vision Bob saw the Lord sitting in a boat on a small pond. Bob observed as the Lord gathered his fishing tackle, baited his hook and cast the line into the water. When He did He immediately began catching fish. Bob watched as the Lord's obvious good pleasure could be seen with each catch. In fact, the Lord was more than pleased, He was exuberant.

Bob then began to notice the fish that the Lord was catching. Instead of seeing the big attractive wholesome fish he expected, he saw tainted and discolored fish. Each one of the fish were diseased with open sores growing in their flesh. These fish were in such a sick and poor condition that they seemingly could serve no useful purpose. Despite their condition the Lord's pleasure grew with each catch to the point that it appeared that the Lord could hardly contain Himself.

Knowing that Bob did not understand the vision, the Lord began to reveal its meaning and the instruction intended. Bob was told that he was to attend a congregation of our black brethren that morning. In the congregation there would be a man visiting that was under heavy persecution with hideous lies being told against him. The Lord, however, wanted Bob to see this persecuted man from His perspective.

This man had taken the gospel to the prisons and was specifically ministering to hardened inmates, some of which were terminally ill. Many of these men were dying of AIDS, liver disease and other life-threatening diseases. The Lord had given this man favor and he was winning these souls into the Kingdom. The fish that the Lord was catching symbolized these men and His reaction portrayed His love for them and the Joy of Heaven for their conversion.

Bob was instructed to minister healing to this man's broken heart for the persecution and lies told against him. He was to convey the vision to this brother revealing the Lord's heart toward him and the ministry entrusted to him. Bob was then given the Scripture.

34 "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

35 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;

36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'

37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink?

38 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?

39 'And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'

40 "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' (Matt 25:34-40)

_________________________

Copyright (c) 1998 Bob Jones Ministry. All rights reserved. For forwarding do not change, or add to, or delete anything. Complete copyright must be included with every article. Copyright (c) 1998 MorningStar Publications & Ministries. MorningStar Publications, Inc., 16000 Lancaster Highway Charlotte, NC 28277 HTTP://WWW.EAGLESTAR.ORG