Drawn to the Change



photo courtesy of Gulf Coast Research Laboratory

I have had a few folks tell me that if I thought catching a white marlin was a blast, my offshore experience would not be complete until I had tussled with a tuna and a dolphin (mahi mahi). Well, I got that opportunity this past weekend aboard the Jesus Freak with Captain David Walker and friends. We got a bright and early start both days, and after our devotion time, departed Pirates Cove Marina, navigated to and through Oregon Inlet and steamed southeast towards the Gulf Stream currents. After about a two-hour run, we came across our destination, a well-defined line of sargassum or what is commonly referred to as the "weed line". Both the currents and wind work to accumulate this vegetation, which originates in the Sargasso Sea, for miles, with some mats being packed together rather significantly. And when and where we found the weed line, we found the marine life - lots of it actually. Small baitfish and schools of triggerfish took cover beneath the sargassum, while mahi mahi, yellowfin and blackfin tuna, wahoo and a few remaining marlin lurked nearby. Not far away, numerous bottlenose dolphins, turtles, pilot whales and even an unidentified species of shark made their presence known. Life was virtually everywhere around the sargassum, a vital natural resource which serves as an ecosystem all of its own.

Matthew 28:19 (NASB)
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit

It made an impression on me how throughout thousands of square miles of open ocean off the East Coast, this specific line of accumulated sargassum attracts and holds just about every species of big-game fish that anglers pursue, and also plays an important role in the life cycles of hundreds if not thousands of marine animals. Jim Franks of the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory notes that 'sargassum provides both shelter and food, making it a good place for fish to congregate; schooling behavior may even start here. We liken the habitat to that of the inshore estuary - estuaries provide a nursery area inshore, and the sargassum provides one offshore...weed lines may also provide a point of orientation for some species of pelagic fish, a landmark that they can return to throughout the day to gather or feed....In short, there is no other habitat like it in the open ocean. It provides young fish shelter from predators, and it harbors a constant supply of small prey to feed upon.'

In quite a similar manner, and through the work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is drawing all those to Him that are weary and in need of life changing nourishment and shelter from the world around them. Part of the Holy Spirit's work is to help others recognize the change that Jesus has made in our lives, as well as the ways in which our lives ought to contrast the ways of this world. If we want to help those around us find Christ, we should be more concerned with loving them as they are rather than making them conform to what we think they should be. However, when we are negative, say one thing but live another, have sin in our lives clearly visible to others, are more interested in ourselves and fleshy desires than Christ, or are trying to please man instead of God, we will not be effectively at all in helping to reach the lost; rather, we will blend in with the rest of the world.

Brothers, is your lifestyle, your behavior, your witness for Jesus Christ the "difference" that draws others in to experience real life, or is it more so the reason that others are turned off from seeking Jesus as their Savior? Be consistent, be the change for which the world is seeking- GE

(for another great insight related to finding weed lines and breaks, check out the devotion from Blue Water Brotherhood titled "Which Path Are You On?" http://www.bluewaterbrotherhood.com/which-path-are-you-on/)