Few Signs of Life

I had the opportunity Saturday to fish with a good buddy in a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay 'to be named at a later date'. With everything that the both of us have had going on this spring, it was our first trip to this body of water for the year, and we were both looking forward to fishing this area having done so well there in the past. As we pulled up into the first area we wanted to try, we noticed the vast expanse of grasses, seemingly more than what was growing there last year, and this only added to our anticipation of soon-to-be-felt tight lines. We threw different baits to see what the fish were interested in, but neither of us had any strikes, not even short strikes or small fish biting the tails of our baits. So, after thoroughly scouring the first spot, we decided to check out several other spots where there was an ideal combination of grass, clear water and depth change, but the same result, no strikes at all. Even though the conditions were ideal - water was clear, water temperature was 76 degrees and grasses were prevalent, there was virtually no life to be found beneath the surface anywhere we went, besides a couple schools of baitfish and a few turtles and rays.

Matthew 23:27-28 (NASB)
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.


I began thinking on the drive home Saturday how similar what we experienced can be to the facade we often put on to deceive others from reality. The water we were fishing by all indications appeared to be productive and should have been teaming with a variety of fish and other creatures, but in reality it was essentially lifeless. Likewise, we can fall into the lie of putting on a great looking exterior, having all the 'right' words and material things, being involved in all the 'right' activities, but in reality be spiritually void or dead on the inside, which is what Jesus was revealing to the Pharisees in the scripture above.

It was personally humbling to step back, examine my life and see places where Jesus is saying the same thing to me. How about you - when you read this scripture and examine your life, are you made aware of areas where your polished exterior is covering an empty or filthy interior? Take heart for whatever you may discover, He is faithful and just in forgiving you if you humble yourself before Him and confess your sin. - GE