Think and Learn
Read today’s scripture passage below. This version is from the translation called “The Living Bible”:
Luke 14:25-33 25 Great crowds were following him. He turned around and addressed them as follows: 26 “Anyone who wants to be my follower must love me far more than he does his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, or sisters—yes, more than his own life—otherwise he cannot be my disciple. 27 And no one can be my disciple who does not carry his own cross and follow me. 28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and then checking to see if he has enough money to pay the bills? 29 Otherwise he might complete only the foundation before running out of funds. And then how everyone would laugh! 30 “‘See that fellow there?’ they would mock. ‘He started that building and ran out of money before it was finished!’ 31 “Or what king would ever dream of going to war without first sitting down with his counselors and discussing whether his army of 10,000 is strong enough to defeat the 20,000 men who are marching against him? 32 “If the decision is negative, then while the enemy troops are still far away, he will send a truce team to discuss terms of peace. 33 So no one can become my disciple unless he first sits down and counts his blessings—and then renounces them all for me.
In this message, Jesus is telling his friends that they really need to think about what they are doing if they want to follow him. It’s not a light decision! In those days, following Jesus literally meant leaving home, your family, your job – everything! – and going on a journey that would take you far away and would often be very difficult. He is telling them that they have to be ready to give up the things they love if they are really going to make this commitment.
Being a disciple of Jesus today doesn’t usually mean that you need to leave your home and family behind, but it does mean that, if you are going to follow him, you will think about his teachings when you make decisions – and sometimes those decisions might be hard or uncomfortable. One way to be a good follower of Jesus is to think, “What would Jesus do in this situation?” Jesus says it’s like making a plan for a big project. You need to know before you start what materials you need, how much it’s going to cost, and how much time you need to dedicate to getting it done.
We know that Jesus loves us and that he wants us to be able to be good followers of his teachings. He knows that we are human and might make mistakes along the way. He wants us to know that, even when we really, really want to be the kind of people God needs us to be, there will be times when we are tempted to give up and times when doing the right thing just seems too hard. At those times, Jesus knows that God doesn’t reject us. We are blessed with the love and grace that allows us to recognize our mistake and try again. Being a good follower of Jesus takes a lot of practice, but it’s worth it, just like learning any new skill.
Wonder
1. Have you ever wanted to buy something big but didn’t have enough money for it? Maybe you’d like to buy a new bike. You might have to save up for quite a while. That can be really hard! It might be tempting to spend some of your money on something smaller – a movie with friends, or candy, or a cool t-shirt. If you really, really want that bike, you have to make some choices so that you really can save enough money. What are some ways you might plan to earn enough money to buy that bike? What are some strategies you might use to make sure you don’t spend all your money of little things along the way and miss out on that bike?
2. Do you know how to play the piano or another musical instrument? If you do, you know that it takes a lot of practice. You can’t just decide one day, “I think I will be a concert pianist!” and have it happen immediately. First you need a piano, and then you need someone to teach you, and then you need to spend a lot of time practising and learning more and more. To become a good pianist will mean giving up some time and it will mean really dedicating yourself to getting better and better. What makes this hard to do? What kind of things might you have to give up to reach your goal? How can you keep yourself motivated to learn a skill that is difficult or complicated?
3. Can you think of some times when being a follower of Jesus is hard? Read these examples and think about what you would do in that situation:
Someone is being bullied at recess and everyone is just watching.
Someone plays a prank or tells a joke that makes another person feel bad. All your friends are laughing.
You are making a list of people to invite to your birthday party. You want your whole class to come – except for that one kid…
Your Sunday School class is collecting bottles to raise money for the food bank. You could take some of the bottles back yourself and have some money to spend on a treat.
No one would know.
Do
Sometimes it’s good to have a reminder to ask yourself, “What Would Jesus Do?” when you are making choices. You may have seen some people wearing a bracelet with the letters WWJD. Each letter stands for a word in that question and is just the reminder we might need! Here’s a simple way to make one for yourself:
You will need:
Three colours of embroidery floss or yarn
Two pony beads
Letter beads W, W, J ,and D.
1. Cut the strands into about 2-foot lengths. You need enough to braid together but not so
many that you can’t thread them through the holes in your beads.
2. Tie the three colours together about 3 inches from the ends.
3. Thread on one pony bead and tie another knot to hold it in place.
4. Separate your strands by colour and braid the three colours together for about 2 inches. Make a knot.
5. Thread on your letter beads WWJD, tie another knot. If you like, you can put a knot or a little bit of braiding between the beads.
6. Braid again for about 2 inches and tie a knot.
7. Add your last pony bead and secure it with a knot.
8. Get someone to help you tie it to your wrist and trim the ends.