“A wise man will hear and increase
in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel.” Proverbs 1:5
I have fished the lakes of Livingston,
Limestone, Conroe, and Belton. I have
cast my line out into the Trinity and Brazos Rivers. I have utilized a spin casting, spinning, and
bait casting reel. Fishing the bottom
with a Carolina rig or using a top water popper in a brushy area, I’ve done
it. Under my belt, I have hauled in
various species of bass (white, black, largemouth, smallmouth, and striped),
while also tangling with catfish ranging from channel, yellow, and high fin
blue. Whether sitting in a boat jigging
a roadbed or casting off a bank, I’ve learned diversity and utilizing the right
combination of lure to location. I was
pretty well set. Then, I started
checking out the fresh water lakes around my new home in Colorado.
Trout and pike seem to be the more
popular species in this area. The first
moment that I had looked at my tackle, I knew that I had a situation! I wasn’t geared to fish for those little
buggers. GREAT! Now what?
It looked like I was up a creek…. you know the rest. What do I do?
Hope that the fish are dumb enough not to have a favorite “menu”? Hope that they’ll go after anything that
passes by? Yeah, sure! Maybe pigs really will grow wings, too!
I knew what had to be done. I went back to the research board. I had to start learning again. Sure, I knew a decent bit about fishing. However, the circumstances have changed. I’m in a colder climate. I’m going after a different species of
fish. I needed to know their habits and
patterns. Where are the best spots in
the water to cast my line into? What
lures and bait will they most likely strike?
Based on the climate and shallow river systems, it looks as if I will be
learning two more types of fishing: ice fishing and fly fishing.
The point that I am making is that my
previously acquired knowledge was no longer enough. I was required to “hit the books” again. My lessons were not over. Oddly enough, many “believers” tend to think
that after they have accepted God as their Father and Jesus as their Savior,
that is all that is required. BZZZ! Wrong answer!
The learning never stops, especially for Christians. Could that be the reason that so many “Christians”
today tend to agree with societies view of accepting sinful practices as things
that should be tolerated and allowed?
Many are quick to agree with a liberal view of what they believe God
accepts, without studying for themselves.
Folks, that’s a little scary.
Studying God-breathed scripture (2
Timothy 3:16) is not a one-time thing.
It is constant. I continually need
go back and look up verses, to ensure that I am not misquoting them. I constantly read one scripture, then look at
other scriptures that apply to what I’ve just read, to fully understand the
meaning that God intended to give. My
wife and I, have begun to study together, every evening. We discuss what the passages are saying,
sharing our perspectives with each other, ensuring that we are not attempting
to add or take away the knowledge that God expects us to gain. As Jesus’s beloved disciple tells us, in his
second letter in Ephesus; if we are to move forward without following Christ’s
teaching, then we do not have God (2 John, v. 9).
As we continue down the pathway of
life, we need to have God’s Word in our hands.
We will face new challenges and new experiences. Without proper knowledge, how are we expected
to handle those situations properly?
Simply, we won’t. We will
fail. If we hope to succeed, then we
must be willing to take time to arm ourselves with knowledge. We want to keep the data fresh in our
heads. We need to make sure that our
spiritual “tackle boxes” are properly stocked to handle what lies below the
surface of those new waters. After all,
we are fishing for keepers, aren’t we?
“And
He said unto them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’” Matthew 4:19
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