Last night, for the first time this year, I went night fishing (yea I know it might be a little early in the year and the water is probably not quite warm enough—but the weather had been SO nice in the evening)—that’s right I broke out the lanterns, the bag chairs, and the “dip bait” and headed for the lake.
To make a long story short we sat there for three hours
being swarmed by every type of insect alive without even a nibble so we gave in
and went home early.
BUT…the beauty of this type of fishing (when you are not
catching anything) is that it gives you a lot of time to think, and talk.
I could be wrong but I think a catfish will eat just about
anything (even raw hot dogs!), and it seems to me that the worse it smells, and
the more disgusting the consistency the more they like it (that is when they
are biting)!
Which brings me to today…after several washings with a
variety of soaps and cleansers, and a full body shower…my hands STILL smell
like “stink” bait (which is REALLY bad for someone who has a small office and
typically deals with people!)
We have been talking a little at church lately about prayer
and one of the things that I suggested is that too often “prayer” trees and
prayer requests turn into “gossip, loose talk, and slander!” So as I am
thinking about the next lesson on prayer
I am also smelling now nearly day old “stink bait” covered by any number of
unnatural scents intended to clean it or mask it and I am realizing a profound spiritual truth
(perhaps for the first time)—only bottom feeding fish eat stink bait.
Stay with me because I think I am on to something…fish that
are often called “bottom feeders” (catfish, carp, drum, etc…) are typically scavengers
and will eat nearly anything…so the best way to catch them is with “stink bait”—they
are attracted by the scent thinking that they are getting a free meal…when
instead, at least in theory, the fisherman gets the meal.
For whatever reason…some people are attracted to “stink
bait.” The worse it smells the more they
seem to like it. Eagles drummer Don
Henley captured this truth in a bouncy little ditty back in the eighties called
“Dirty Laundry”—suggesting that media were “bottom feeders” in their approach
to reporting “news.” The sad truth is…that
God’s Church is really not immune to this either. As Christians forced to live in this world it
is too easy to get sucked into living OF, and OFF the world and becoming bottom
feeders---ingesting all the stink bait that Satan and the world would have us
consume about everyone and everybody.
But that is not the way that it should be:
- Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches (1 Cor 7:17)
- This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil (John 3:19)
- Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world (James 1:27).
- Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen (Eph 4:29)
- Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you (Phil. 4:8-9)
And that is just a SAMPLE of the teachings concerning how
followers of Jesus are not to be “bottom feeders!!”
I wish that it were that easy—read the scriptures and do
what they say…but for some reason it never seems to be…so here are some other
suggestions:
- Focus your mind on the important things
- PRAY for yourself and others.
- Refuse to listen
- Change the channel
- GENTLY encourage those “feeding on stink bait” to either change their conversations or to seek another conversant.
- Etc…(there are hundreds that you could think of!)
Here is something else to consider…I don’t know what it is
that is in “stink bait” that makes the horrible smell stick to the flesh---but
it does…it seems as if it cannot be washed off---once it is on there it has to
wear off…that is EXACTLY what Satan wants!!
The stink bait used to attract or concern bottom feeders stays with you—it
doesn’t wash off (or if you REALLY want to go “old skool” you might think in
these terms—it can only be “washed off by the blood of the Lamb”—I really am
getting too old!). Once you fall for
stink bait and bottom feeding it is a hard habit to break and that smell sticks
to you (it becomes a trust issue for others—and once you lose that it is VERY
hard to regain!)
Isn’t it time? Isn’t
it time that the Church starting acting like the church and quit adding to the
noise that makes it difficult to hear Jesus? Bottom feeders will consume almost
anything---and the worse it smells and the more disgusting it is…the better
they like it! Remember, only bottom
feeders like stink bait!!
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| The BEST way to eat a "bottom feeder!" |
