FOLLOW THE LEADER
- Key Verse
- "But if anyone causes one of these little ones who trusts in me to lose faith, it would be better for that person to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around the neck." (Mark 9:42, NLT)
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Central Truth
We need to be aware of our actions and how they affect others, especially those who are new to the faith.
Reflections
When I was a kid we played all sorts of games. Hide and Seek, Freeze Tag, Red Rover. We even played a game called Ghost in the Graveyard, which was a combination of hide and seek, dodge ball and tag. I seem to recall a lot of injuries during that game, especially because we played it at night.One game that I played when I was really young, around six or seven years old, was Follow the Leader. You might remember playing that too. One person was the leader and whatever the leader did, the “followers” had to do as well in order to stay in the game. If the leader could do something that the followers couldn’t, the leader would win. I remember playing one time with another kid as the leader. He was older than the rest of use and because of that, he was more athletic. We started out okay, but soon, one by one, we all lost because we couldn’t do what our leader was doing. Even though he won, his actions caused us to fail.
Jesus warns us about this kind of “game” in Mark 9. He tells us that if we do anything that would cause “one of these little ones” to stumble, it would be very bad (older millstones weighed about 2,800 lbs!). The “little ones” represent those who are new in the faith (or even those far from Christ). His point was that those who may be more mature in the Lord (the leader), are living their lives so that the “followers” aren’t losing the game. Our example counts! Everyday someone is watching our lives and we’ve got to be cautious. Something that may seem trivial in your life, may cause someone else confusion or even frustration with the Christian faith. The motivation for this attitude is love. In the “game” of life, the object is NOT to cause others to lose. It’s to help others be the winners God made them to be.
Discussion Questions
1. Who are the people in your life that "follow" you? Your spouse? Your kids? You co-workers or classmates?
2. Is there any area of your life that could cause someone to fall?
3. What kind of attitude adjustment does this kind of thinking take?
4. As the "leader", what can you do this week to make sure that those "following" you win at life?
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