“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” Matthew 4:19

It started with an invitation… my son Clint asking if I’d like to go fishing with him. Now that he has a boat, he can make invitations like that. Obviously I said yes, and yesterday morning found me driving in the darkness to meet up with him. Soon, we found ourselves gazing at a fish-finder, and out over the water, looking for signs of fish. We moved around a lot.

The only common thing that we found at every place we went was that fish were not biting. Maybe it was the time, or the tide or even the mood of the fish. Both live and artificial bait were used, but nothing seemed to work. Until it did! And then BAMM! Clint hooked onto a huge Redfish. It was a fight to get it in… but he managed. It was the only keeper we got.

Fishing is a sport of hope. Taking a piece of hooked bait and throwing it out into a world that we can’t really see or truly know and the long hours of doing it only prove that it MUST be HOPE that keeps a fisherman fishing. The anticipation of a huge fish taking the bait is a fisherman’s hope. This big one didn’t just bite at the bait… it swallowed the whole thing!

It was no accident that Jesus approached fishermen to start His ministry. To give hope, it’s best to use people who look for and want to have it! One day, years ago, I was just living in the world. Then I discovered something REALLY attractive… Jesus… and swallowed Him hook line and sinker! Now I too am a fisher of men. You? What side of the hook are YOU on?

If you have taken Jesus bait, are you making invitations to others to get hooked?