THE RIGHT BAIT
Matthew 4:18-20
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. 19 Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
I remember as a young boy when my dad would tell me on Friday, "dig some worms today we're going fishing in the morning." Mom would give me an empty can from vegetables or some other food and I would take the shovel to the garden. Oh how I loved to go fishing on those Saturday mornings with my dad.
Unless it was really dry it didn't take long to get a few dozen nice fat earthworm's to catch a meal of Brook trout. We would never have gone and bought worms like most do today, it was unheard of. We also would never have gone without the right bait.
A good fisherman knows what kind of fish want what kind of bait. While the Brook trout in the small streams of Michigan might desire earthworms, you would never use that bait for Blue Marlin in the ocean.
As men and women of God we are called to be "fishers of men". If we are going to be fishing for men and women, we will need the right bait and know how to use it.
Don't get me wrong, I believe that we can't "bait" someone to come to Christ. However, we can attract them when first they see something in our lives that they are missing and want or need. Also, when we learn what is important to a person, we can meet them in that place and show them a Savior.
In the book of 2nd Timothy, we see that it tells us to be prepared with the right bait and to know how to use it. It also charges us to always be prepared to fish.
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)
"Preach the Word; Be prepared in season and out if season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful understanding." (2 Timothy 4:2)
So prepare your bait, know your target and get out there and fish.
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