Peter and his brother, Andrew, were getting ready to toss their net into the sea once more. It would be the last net of fish they caught that day. Then they would have to row to shore, put the boat away, and clean the fish. Looking at the net lying at his feet, Peter noticed a hole that had been torn open. He lifted the net and frowned. Well, there's another hole to mend, he thought.
He looked over at Andrew. "Fishing isn't exciting anymore."
Right away Andrew knew what he meant. "It's because of Jesus," he replied. He looked up at his brother. "I've felt the same way. There is something that happens to me when I'm near Him. It makes me want to forget about the fishing business. It just isn't important now."
With a sigh, Andrew turned back to the net. He told Peter to help him, and together they tossed it into the water.
The boat was rocking gently on the waves when suddenly they heard someone calling their names. Peter turned to Andrew with a puzzled look. Who would be calling to them?
Then he looked toward the shore. "There's Jesus!" shouted Peter. "He is calling us! Come on, Andrew, let's go and see what He wants."
They turned the boat around and went toward the shore. Even before the boat scraped bottom, Peter jumped out and ran to where Jesus stood. Andrew was close behind him.
When they got to where Jesus was, He told them, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." That meant they would not be catching fish anymore. There was a greater job for them to do. He wanted them to be His disciples now. They would be telling other people about God's love. It would be like fishing for people!
That day Peter and Andrew left their boat and nets and became Jesus' disciples.
As they walked with Jesus by the seashore, they came to a boat that belonged to a man named Zebedee. He and his two sons, James and John, were sitting in their boat mending their fishing nets.
Jesus called to the two sons and told them to follow Him also.
James and John left their boat right away. They knew they wanted to be followers of Jesus. They were happy that Jesus had chosen them to be His helpers.
Jesus chose these four men and also eight others to be His special helpers. They are called the Apostles. Did you know that Jesus wants you to be His helper too? He loves you and has a special plan for you. Wouldn't you like to be a fisher of men and tell others about Jesus?
Focus on "choosing" in your time together this week. Make your child aware of little choices he makes each day. By writing a choice on each side of a set of index cards, let him select what clothes to wear, what to eat for breakfast, which book to read. Then talk about some of the things which influence his choices.
Discuss what things might have influenced Jesus' choice of followers. Help your child list some of the things he looks for in a friend or in someone to help him with a project. Does he think Jesus would have looked for some of these same qualities? Relate your discussion to the present time by considering what Jesus might be looking for in His followers today.
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