Give a Man a Fish, Feed Him For a Day. Teach a Man to Fish, Feed Him For a Lifetime.
Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism, is credited with making this statement.
However, I believe it has great implications for the Christian life.
Essentially, this statement is emphasizing the truth that it is more beneficial to have the means than it is to have the end.
It's like our high school math teachers who gave us credit for showing
our work even if our final answer was wrong. Though we may not have
caught any fish, we showed that we knew how to, which is of greater
importance.
So what does this have to do with the Christian life? For the
Christian, we "feed," not on fish, but on the bread of the Word of God
(Mt. 4:4; 1 Pt. 2:2). But since "the natural man does not receive the
things of the Spirit," it is often like fishing to understand the Word
of God (1 Cor. 2:14). Now fishing can sometimes be a long and tedious
task. Worse yet, one may fish all day and still not catch anything. But
we need to eat! So often, rather than risking our survival on our own
fishing ability, we rely on more experienced fishermen to give us fish.
We rely on daily devotionals, Bible study
guides, group Bible studies, weekly sermons, and other resources to
supply us with the fish we need. I will quickly note that there is nothing wrong with any of these resources
as there is nothing wrong with giving a man a fish. However, if the man
becomes reliant upon another for his fish, not learning to fish for
himself, he has put his life in the hands of that man. And what if that
man catches some bad fish?
The example of the Bereans can never be over-emphasized. They were not
content with the fish given to them by the more experienced fishermen.
They "searched the scriptures daily [fishing for themselves] to find
out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11).
We may not feel as though we're adequate to fish for ourselves. What if
we don't catch any fish (we don't understand)? What if we catch some
bad fish (we come to bad conclusions)? These are understandable fears,
but Jesus has given us many guarantees against these risks. He promises
that the "Spirit of truth" will "guide you into all truth." "He will
teach you all things" (Jn. 16:13; 14:26). Because of this "anointing,"
John goes so far as to say, "you do not need that anyone teach you" (1
Jn. 2:27). We don't need to rely on more experienced fishermen! Though
it may be difficult and tedious at first, and though it may be some
time before we can regularly catch good fish, the Holy Spirit of God
has been promised to help us if we will try to fish for ourselves.
This does not mean we reject the fish from others, but we are able to
use their fish as desert for the fish we catch ourselves. Also, since
we are more familiar with the fishing process, we are better able to
discern the quality of the fish we receive from others.
My prayer is that this little note will encourage you to make it a
daily practice to fish through God's Word for yourself, with the Spirit
alone as your guide. Don't throw away your devotional or Bible study guide, but let them be in addition to the time you spend with just the
Bible, the Spirit and you. Though it may be hard at first, by the
promises of the Word of God, and by my own experience, I can assure you
beyond doubt that you will be led into a deeper relationship with Jesus
and a greater knowledge of the truth in Him. I leave you with this
promise:
Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. Prov. 2:3-5
