BE PREPARED TO FISH
Matthew 4:18–19
And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Many years ago, when I began guiding, one of the first hunts that I guided was a bear hunt in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. In order to get enough bear bait, my guiding partner and myself had to visit the backside of many grocery stores and markets. We picked up anything and everything that was put out as waste.
Over the late summer and early fall, leading up to the hunting season, we tried many different produce and meat products. We eventually learned what the bears liked best and what kept them coming to the bait. Surprisingly, some things that seemed far from familiar to the bears of our area were extremely popular and enjoyed by them. One of the most interesting was pineapples. It seemed as though the very first thing they would eat was the pineapples along with candy and donuts. We kept our bears fed the best we could to keep them happy and to provide the best hunt possible.
While bears are not fish… They still are susceptible to “bait”, as fish are. Bait, as it has to do with fish bait, and many other animals, is just an attractant that is used to bring the animals close. As Christians we have a responsibility to be used by God to allow our lives to be used to attract others to a life in His family.
Jesus drew others to Himself with stories, miracles, and by His love. It would seem that Jesus would have chosen the polished men, the preachers and biblical leaders when He went out to build His team. Instead of these men, Jesus picked the working men, ordinary hard working fisherman. With those handful of men, He changed the world!
He’s also called me and you to become fishers or men, like He did those first disciples. But many of us didn’t come into this with the right gear or bait, some have never fished in their lives. That’s ok, Jesus Himself supplies all the right bait we need. He’s given us an instruction manual, the Bible with all the information we need to do the work He’s called us to… to be fisherman for His kingdom.
1 Peter 3:15 tells us about having the right bait and being ready to use it.
“but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect;” (1 Peter 3:15)
God Himself has equipped us with our own bait, not only what is in the Bible, although that is the most important gear we require. He has given us things in the past that we can share to others that will bring them to Him; a miracle healing of a loved one, an addiction beaten, a disaster averted… or countless other stories. We’ve got the right bait… we just need to be willing to get out and fish.
Read your Bible, know it well enough to give an answer when needed. But also, prepare to share what God has done in your life. He will give you the words, you just need to be ready to fish.
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