“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.””
Matthew 4:18-19 NKJV
While on vacation in the Florida Keys, my wife and I fed the tarpon at Robbie’s Marina. This is a must-do while in the Keys, and it’s a very cool experience. After buying bait from the marina, you go out to the pier and dangle your bait over the water. These huge fish literally leap out of the water to eat the bait. Before you know it, a large group of tarpon has gathered near you to catch your bait.
Jesus called the disciples (and us) to be fishers of men. And just like the tarpon, men will be attracted to us if we’re using the right bait. The Word gives us many descriptions of the right bait, including fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), seasoned speech (Colossians 4:6), sincere love (I Peter 4:8-9) and forgiveness (Ephesians 4:32). If we fail to use the right bait, not only will we not catch fish, but we may also drive fish away from us.
So next time you go fishing for the Lord, check your bait. If it’s righteous, you’ll catch fish for the Father. And, trust me, that’s an even cooler experience than feeding tarpon.