A Ticket for Fishin' Teaching preschoolers provides a unique perspective God often uses to get me thinking about His Word. One particular week of teaching about Peter, Andrew, James, and John still provides insight I often need to be reminded of. “They were some of Jesus’ first disciples,” I said. “Do you remember what a disciple is?” I had spent a good bit of time talking about disciples choosing to follow Jesus and learn from Him about God and His Word. It was encouraging to see several kids eager to share an answer. I chose Luke because he was about to explode with pride over knowing the answer. “They’re the guys who had a ticket to go fishin’ with Jesus on His boat.” Not wanting to discourage future attempts to answer, I quickly processed how to diplomatically respond and correct his theology. Ultimately, I realized Luke wasn’t too far off base. Knowing the Lord and choosing Him as Savior certainly provides the connection (ticket) needed to hang out with Him on His “boat.” Fishing represented typical daily activities for the men of that town during that time in History. Being a disciple of Jesus and choosing to follow Him definitely requires doing normal daily activities with Him. As the day progressed and long after the kids were picked up from class, I found myself thinking about Luke’s response. I was struck by the many times I missed the boat because I mistakenly assumed it was best to wait until Sunday, a certain conference, or a Lifegroup gathering to focus on discipleship. When our Lord encouraged the men to follow Him that day, He was not referring to a short jaunt across the lake or even a full day of casting nets. Jesus was calling them to make a life-long, every26 treasure
JAN-MAR 2022
