Fishing Lures

Bible Reading: Matthew 7:1-5; James 1:12-15

“I can’t believe it! Andy says he’s a Christian, but I saw him showing some

of the guys a bad website on his tablet after school,” Cade told his dad. “He must be really weak to look at that kind of stuff.”

“So looking at websites like that doesn’t appeal to you at all?” Dad asked.

“No way!” said Cade. “I don’t have any problem staying away from that junk.”

“I’m glad,” said Dad as he put fishing rods into the trunk of the car. “Did you pack the trout flies?”

“Trout flies?” asked Cade. “I thought we were going to fish for northern pike. You won’t hook one of them with a trout fly!”

Dad grinned. “I can see you know a lot about fishing bait.” He shut the trunk door. “So, what kind of bait do you need to look out for?”

“Me?” asked Cade.

Dad nodded. “Just like different fish are caught with different lures, different people are tempted to sin by different things. As you pointed out, Andy is often tempted by things he shouldn’t look at online. So what are you tempted by?”

“Um…” Cade hesitated. “I…I don’t know.”

“Well, let’s see. Why were you grounded last week?” asked Dad.

Cade’s face grew warm. “I got upset at Macie and smashed one of her toys on the floor.”

“And you got in trouble last month for pushing down a boy at school,” said Dad. “So you have to watch out for a different lure than Andy does—you’re often tempted to hurt others when you feel angry.”

Cade sighed. “I guess Andy and I are a lot alike.”

“You and Andy and every other Christian,” said Dad. “We all struggle with sin, but we’re not all tempted by the same things. So instead of judging other Christians when they’re tempted by certain sins, we need to encourage them and remind them that Jesus has freed them from sin. And if they do give in, we need to show them grace—just like Jesus does for us.”

Cade nodded. “I’ll do that the next time I see Andy looking at things he shouldn’t—and ask him to do the same for me when I get angry.”

“Good idea,” said Dad, opening the car door. “Okay, jump in. Let’s go get ’em!” – Karen Ditthardt

How About You?

What sins do you struggle with? You may not struggle with the same things your friends do, but all Christians struggle with temptation at times. Jesus tells us not to point a finger at others while ignoring our own shortcomings. Instead, we need to remind other Christians who they are in Jesus when they’re tempted to sin—and be on the lookout for the things that tempt us.

Today’s Key Verse:
James 1:14 Each one is tempted when he is drawn away
by his own desires and enticed. (NKJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Christians struggle with different sins