By Wayne Stiles
Our family went fishing over the Thanksgiving weekend at a nearby lake.
Cold
and blustery. Hardly anyone else at the lake. Rough water. Five dollars
for worms. Hooks snag in the underwater weeds. Fish won’t bite. Worm
guts under the fingernails. A hook pierces my thumb.
One of my daughters summed up our experience this way: “Daddy, a stocked pond might be more fun.”
We
fished with worms, hooks, and bobs while a nearby man cast a lure with
his rod. He caught a bass as I was leaving! Go figure. His success got
me to thinking.
I looked up the term “lure” in the Oxford American Dictionary and found the word “tempt” occurring in the definitions. The probable origin of the word “lure” stemmed from the German term, Luder, meaning, “bait.” Hmmm . . .
The
next morning I asked the family, “What does fishing teach us about
Jesus’ statement: ‘I will make you fishers of men?’” Various answers
shot back:
“Sometimes fish won’t bite.”
“A lot of casting; not a lot of catches.”
“Different bait works for different fish.”
“It’s great when you catch one!”
Then we discussed another question: “What does fishing teach us about how Satan tempts us?”
“The bait hides the hook.”
“Quick satisfaction with long-term regret.”
“Satan is patient.”
The
lessons we caught from fishing were keepers. A lure from Satan’s
perspective tempts us to destruction. But a lure from God’s
perspective—that’s our lives and our words—leads us and others to
salvation. Can you think of some other lessons?
Not bad for five bucks and some worm guts.
Post courtesy of www.waynestiles.com. Used by permission.
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