Fish Bait

   You know, when you fish, you use bait to lure and catch that fish.  If you catch a fish, and want to keep it alive, you have to keep feeding it the bait you caught it with, in order to keep it alive.  Whatever it takes to catch a fish, it takes that to keep it alive.  If you caught it with worms, keep worms on hand.  If you caught it with stink-bait, keep stink bait on hand if you plan on putting that fish in an aquarium and keeping it alive.

     Jesus said we are to be fishers of men. We have been so inventive with the bait we use for men Door prizes, lollipops, rock music, get rich promises, schemes and dreams and, of course, threats of hell-fire and brimstone.  Now days, the big bait is comfort.  We ball up promises of comfort and build mega-churches around the comfort of man. In my youth, most fish were caught by preaching that scared the hell out of us.  Every revival meeting was basically like a fish farmer standing at his pond, throwing out fish food, and all the fish collecting in a frenzy to feed.  That was a revival meeting back then. 

     I was fortunate in that such bait was not what caught me.  Sixty years ago, two lady preachers  stood behind a piano singing "I've had a vision of Jesus.  I've caught a glimpse of my Lord", and, I was hooked.  I took the bait.  I was caught.  I became a prisoner of love.  I was captured by a desire to see and to know my Lord.  A favorite song of mine these days goes "Show me your face Lord, show me your face.  Gird up my loins that I might stand in the holy place.  Show me your face Lord, show me your face. I can make it to the end, if I can just see your face".  The first time I heard the song I was in the outpouring at Lakeland with ten thousand other believers and when that song began. Immediately, I was lost in God. I was alone in a crowd.  I was captured again.  I was fed again what it was that caught me to begin with and oh, do I love it.  

    I have played that song for other people later and they looked puzzled.  "I don't get it" they said. I was sad as I realized they were not caught with that bait. They were caught on the bait of being lost, miserable, bound, and lost.  Others heard it and were also puzzled.  It contained no promise of wealth, or of victory over the devil.   Oh, don't misunderstand.  I Thank God, they were caught by whatever they were caught with,  but I pray for appetite changes.  Oh, taste and see that the Lord, He is good".