Week 3 Being and Doing

Has anybody ever asked you, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" There are lots of jobs that adults do: teachers, firefighters, pastors, computer programers . . . you can probably think of many others. But Christians-even adults-have to answer a different question. God wants to know, "who do you want to be when you grow up?"

Do you have an older brother or sister, or maybe special friend or teacher you admire? Maybe that person is a great musician, good at sports, or just the kind of friend that everyone wants to be with. If you want to be like that person, then you start to act the way you see them act-in order to be a musician or an athlete or a friend you have to do the things they do. Remember how the Bible says that we're God's children? That means Jesus is our big brother, the best brother anyone could have. If we admire Jesus and want to be like him, then we'll practice acting like Jesus acted: listening, praying, being kind, standing up for people who are being picked on. The Bible, especially Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (called the Gospels) has lots of stories about Jesus that show us how we could act today.

Being like Jesus isn't just for kids; adults have to practice being like Jesus, too. No one is just like Jesus all the time, but when we share stories from the Bible and share stories about what has happened to us, we help each other practice being like Jesus. Being like Jesus doesn't mean that we will all look the same or do the same jobs-God needs all different kinds of people. Being like Jesus means acting like Jesus, whatever we are doing.

This poem by Polly Berrien Berends ends with a question. The answer is up to you and God.

When we speak
words come out.
When God speaks,
birds come out.
Are you a word
that God spoke, too;
What do you think
God means by you?

Here's a verse from the Bible, I John 3:7 (The Message). Do you think you can learn it by heart?

"Dear children, don't let anyone divert you from the truth. It's the person who acts right who is right, just as we see lived out in our righteous Messiah." [Messiah is a name for Jesus]

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