LIVE BAIT!

Many [people] go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it’s not fish they are after. –Henry David Thoreau


Springtime has returned to the North Coast, and the signs are popping up in convenience store windows everywhere:

LIVE BAIT! NIGHT CRAWLERS! LURES!

It got me to thinking about Jesus and the disciples, and also about today’s Christ-followers.

The first of the twelve to be called—Peter, Andrew, James and John—were fishermen by trade. They knew what it took to bring in a successful catch: perseverance, patience—and the right attitude to go along with those things. They could tell when conditions were right, and most of the time, when it was time to leave the nets to dry and try again another time. (Sometimes, Jesus helped their odds a bit.)

They knew there was no forcing the fish into the boat, no way of tying them down until they simply decided the disciples needed dinner more than they needed to live. And as experienced fishermen know, sometimes it takes something really special to catch the fish’s attention. But once you’ve got ‘em, you better be prepared to drag (or reel) ‘em in, giving and going until the persuasion is done.

So what about us-- today’s “fishing crew”? Do we still have what it takes to attract others with our lives? Does the message of the Christ live within and shine without, luring those who hunger for more, showing them that this man, this Jesus whom we profess to follow, is worth the effort? When was the last time you looked more closely at the faith you profess and offer to the world? Is your life LIVE BAIT?

(This week, ponder these ways of living an alluring life for Christ.)

Monday Believe in your power to transform indifference into love. How will you show the world you care? Psalm 8:4

Tuesday Believe you have an amazing gift to keep hope alive in the face of despair. Offer a prayer today for someone who is struggling. Isaiah 40:30-31

Wednesday  Believe you have the remarkable skill of deleting bitterness from your life. Pray today for the courage to forgive someone who has hurt you. Thank God for the peace that will follow. Exodus 34:6-7

Thursday Believe in your budding potential to live with a nonviolent heart. Is there a human rights issue about which you are passionate? Consider contacting your congressional representative and making your passion known. James 3:17-18

Friday Believe in your passion to speak the truth, even when it isn’t popular. Sometimes as Christians we fall silent. Today, pray for conviction to speak truth—in love. Zechariah 8:16-17

Saturday Believe you have the strength of will to be peace in a world of violence. Offer words of peace and a hug (after asking permission). Matthew 5:9

Sunday Believe in your miraculous capacity to give—and receive—unconditional love. Greet someone with reckless abandon this morning. Luke 10:25-37


The fun of fishing is catching ‘em, not killing ‘em. –Norman Schwarzkopf

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