These past few weeks at our church & in our student ministry we’ve been thinking and talking about discipleship. What it means & what it looks like to follow Jesus.
Do you remember the scene from the original “Karate Kid” movie where Daniel comes to Mr. Miyagi to learn karate.
Mr. Miyagi says, “First make sacred pact. I promise teach karate. That my part. You promise learn. I say. You do. No questions. That your part. Deal?” And Daniel responds, “Deal.”
Mr. Miyagi agrees to teach Daniel if he will do what he says without asking any questions. Of course, Daniel quickly agrees desperate to learn karate from this master teacher of the martial arts. His training begins immediately, but it’s not at all what he expects.
First up, he has to wash & wax all of Mr. Miyagi’s cars. And he has to do it a certain way. Then, he has to sand his floors. Again, it has to be done a specific way. And then he has to paint Mr. Miyagi’s fence. And it has to be done the way Mr. Miyagi shows him. In frustration, Daniel is about to quit. It’s late. He’s tired. His muscles are sore. As far as he can tell he hasn’t learned a single thing about karate. As he is about to walk away from it all, Mr. Miyagi call’s Daniel in a stern voice to “Come here.” Then he commands Daniel to show him “Wax the car.” “Sand the floor.” “Paint the fence.” With each movement having strengthened his muscles & taught him unknowingly fundamental defensive moves in the marital arts Daniel is immediately able to defend himself as he & Mr. Miyagi spar right there in the back yard.
When they finish they bow towards each other & Mr. Miyagi reminds Daniel to always look him in the eye.
Sometimes following Jesus doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense & the routine disciplines of prayer, worship, reading the Word, service, communion, kindness, etc. don’t seem to really be taking us where we want to go. We don’t necessarily feel a closer connection with God or like we’re serving any great purpose in His kingdom. And then it hits. Maybe it’s a tragedy. Maybe it’s a calling. Maybe it’s a moment to share Jesus with someone in need. But in that spontaneous moment our reflexes are ready to respond. Why? Because we, like Daniel, have been following the leading of our master teacher, Jesus Christ. We have been striving every day to become more like him in every way. And when it matters, when it counts, it is evident that we too “have been with Jesus.”
So don’t be quick to give up on the fundamentals of following Jesus. Be faithful in prayer, in worship, in His word & in the numerous ways in which you practice following Him, learning from Him, loving Him & loving others. Such a walk with God daily prepares you for the defining moments of this life & propels you into the greatest life you’ll ever know. Following Jesus. Walking with God.
And don’t forget to take time to look your Savior in the eye. As the writer of Hebrews says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” (Hebrews 12:2).
