USING THE RIGHT BAIT
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."
There is a small unnamed stream on the north side of a mountain that stands high above the White River in Northern Colorado. Few people have ever seen this stream other than a few elk hunters and cowboys working their cattle on the mountain. I've been blessed to fish this nameless stream a few times in life and it's produced some of the best numbers of trout I've ever seen.
Forty plus years ago my dad was invited on an archery elk hunt on that mountain. He hadn't brought any fishing gear but there was some old rods in the bunkhouse where they stayed. One of the other hunters had brought his high end fishing gear and offered my dad some cured salmon eggs for bait. My dad gave him a polite "no thank you" and explained that he would catch a handful of grasshoppers to fish with. The other gentleman said that those wouldn't work there on this stream and offered that when he needed, come get some eggs.
An hour or so later they met again along the stream. The "egg toting fisherman" showed off one nice looking fish. His jaw dropped when dad opened his creel and revealed a limited of beautiful mountain brook trout. It was all in having the right bait at the right time.
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 don't in your life. He will give you the words, you just need to be ready to fish.
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