A fish story
A fisherman went fishing and after three hours hooked a beautiful striped marlin. It fought against its entanglement with the hook and line with all its strength. The marlin broke the water’s surface with such force as to break its contact with the ocean. In turn, it dove deep using its incredible strength to dive into the depths of its natural habitat. Freedom to roam the deep at will, and live the way it wants, is the only reality the marlin knows. Out of fear of the unknown the marlin will fight to stay in what is familiar.
In this story, the fisherman simply released the marlin back to its natural habitat. This fish hasn’t the ability to reason but has an instinct for self-preservation. How many people saved or unsaved, have held onto an instinct for self-preservation, and in so doing, deny the God that loves them?
There are numerous examples in scripture of looking back and holding to tradition. Jesus offers a better way of freedom and life everlasting.
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it (Matthew 16:25 NKJV).
But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt (Genisis 19:26 NKJV).
Even after we are born again, we may conduct our lives substandard to what we have been freely given by God. Why live as a beggar when Jesus has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness? (2 Peter 1:3).
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32 NKJV).
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16 NKJV).
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it (Mark 8:35 NKJV).
With all that Jesus has done for us, why do we engage in stubborn neglect to His promises? The obvious answer is, we shouldn’t. Ignorance, wrong teaching, and unbelief are a few reasons we find ourselves outside of experiencing His blessings. When we stop trusting that we have all the answers and trust in God’s love, we begin life. We then can stop trying to maintain independence and start enjoying the benefits of our entangled relationship with Him.
Similar to gravity, sin affects everyone who hasn’t found life in Christ Jesus. The need for all believers is to learn the spiritual law of lift that overcomes the work of Satan.
…even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:5-6 NASB95).
The main difference between the marlin and man is, God calls us to His side through His love.
© 2025 Mark Rossback