Culling fish

I was on Facebook the other day and I saw a post from Alton Jones “A verse for everybody today . . . Proverbs 16:11 "Honest scales and balances are from the Lord, all the weights in the bag are of His making."

                It made me stop and think about the anticipation of weighting in fish after a tournament.  I know some guys weigh there fish before weigh-in and know what they have.  Some do this so they can cull fish better.  To be honest I don’t do this, mainly because I have never been in a situation where I needed to cull fish during a tournament.

When I would weigh in fish there was always that anticipation of what will they weigh, will it be enough to win.  The best thing about God is we know before we die what will happen.  There's not that anticipation of will I make it into the Kingdom of God or not.  We don’t have to worry about the scales saying we had enough good deeds over bad.

We know that if we had a personal relationship with the Lord we will be brought into the Kingdom of God.  It’s a freeing feeling to know we don’t have to cull or bad and good deeds in life.  We can live a life that shows Christ to those around us.

Fishing Stories

We have all heard fishing stories.  Maybe we have told a few in our day.  The joke has always seemed to be that with each telling of a fish story the size of the fish grows, maybe you really caught a 16 inch bass but when you tell someone about the catch it turns into a 17 or 18 inch bass.  We all have done it.

The fist bass I caught was this way it may have been a 12 inch bass, but every time I told the story to someone my hands got further apart the fish got bigger.  The struggle to the dock was harder.

The problem is as Christians we need to be honest and trust worthy.  Yes there fish stories, but if you lie about a fish what will stop you from lying about something else.

Colossians 3:9-10 tells us:
“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”

When we become Christians we are a new creation, a person trying to be like God.  We are called to put our old self away.  We need to leave behind the things we did in the past and follow the example we have in God.  God does not lie, we should not lie.

The next time you start a fish story remember God.  Remember we are different know and I’m just guessing here when Jesus retold the story of feeding 5000 he didn’t make the number higher every time he told it.  Don’t do that to yourself just tell the truth. 

Prayer and Alton Jones

Yesterday I had the pleasure of talking to Elite Series Angler Alton Jones, about an article I am working on for Bass Angler Magazine.  After completing the questions I had for him about live well care of fish he allowed me to ask him some other questions.

Knowing that Alton is a Christian I asked him if that shaped is fishing.  The answer I got was what I expected.  What surprised me was an answer I got about what advice would you give someone wanting to make it as a pro.

Alton said we need to pray about it and make sure it is what God is leading you to.  I don’t that this surprised me but it caught me off guard.  I agree with everything he said.  It seems like Christians seem to only go to God with big problems.  Now I am not saying all Christians are this way but I have seen it far too often where people only pray to God when its convenient for them or when they have a big problem and when they deal with the issue they put God back on his shelf and go about living there lives.

We get to communicate with the creator of the universe, he cares about us.  Matthew 10:30 tells us “And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”  God knows the number of hairs on each of our heads.  He loves us that much.  Philippians 4:6-7 tells us “"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"

God wants us to come to him in prayer.  So I want to leave you with the advice Alton Jones gave all of us anglers.  If you want to be a pro pray about it and make sure that is the path God would have for you.

Winter Tackle Maintenance

In Michigan the weather is still Cold, Snow is on the ground.  With winter starting to turn and once again make way for spring I saw an article about tackle organization on T brinks blog.  The difference is that this article was what not to do with Winter Tackle Maintenance. 

I have read countless blogs and articles about Winter Tackle Maintenance but this is one of the first ones I have seen about what not to do.  Remember winter is only for a season.  If you live in the North like me hang in there fishing season is just around the corner. 

Being that I hate winter I know it is needed.  I know God created this cold time for our benefit.  I dislike winter but I love spring.  It reminds me of us and Gods love for us.  Each spring we see Gods creation bloom into beauty.  Just like us, when we become Christians and turns are live over to God we to bloom into a beautiful creation made by God.

So as the blues of winter begin to fade remember we are like nature, a beautiful creation of God.