Fishing Lures

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

"I can't believe it! Andrew says he's a Christian, but I saw him looking at a bad website on his tablet today," Zane 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 Zane. "I don't have any problem staying away from that junk."

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

"Trout flies? I thought we were fishing 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 Zane.

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

"Um…" Zane hesitated. "I don't know."

"Well, let's see. Why were you grounded last week?" asked Dad.

Zane'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 Andrew does--you're often tempted to hurt others when you feel angry."

Zane sighed. "I guess Andrew and I are a lot alike."

"You and Andrew 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 us from sin. And if they do give in, we need to show them grace--just like Jesus does for us."

Zane nodded. "I'll do that next time I see Andrew looking at things he shouldn't--and ask him to do the same for me when I get angry."

"Good idea." Dad opened 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:
Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. (NIV) (James 1:14)

Today's Key Thought:
Christians struggle with different sins