Jesus is the Son of God who came to earth with a mission, to save mankind (Matt 3:13-17; John 3:16). A close examination of the chosen text in Luke demonstrates that Jesus had an awareness of and a certain fidelity to "His father's business" from a very young age. He suffered many trials and temptations but stayed faithful to His task and purchased the church "with His own blood" (Heb 4:15; Acts 20:28).

We are to be Christ-like but sometimes, I fear, we are more like another famous son. In the renowned Disney movie "The Lion King," you may remember how after some time of running from his past, Simba had all but forgotten his life in the kingdom left for him by his father, Mufasa.

One day, providentially, Simba met a monkey by the name of Rafiki, who had close ties to his father. This is how an excerpt of their conversation went:

Rafiki: "I know who you are."
Simba: "Yeah right, you really expect me to believe that?"
Rafiki shows up and says, "I know who you are! You are Mufasa's boy!"
Simba asks, "You knew my father?"
Rafiki says, "Correction, I know your father!"
Simba says, "I hate to tell you, but my father is dead."
Rafiki: "Nope! Wrong again. Your father lives, and he lives in you. look & see!" He points into the lake.
Simba: "That's just my reflection."
Rafiki: "Look harder."
Mufasa: "SIMBA!"
Simba: "Dad ?"
Mufasa: "You have forgotten me."
Simba: "I have not forgotten you Father, I can never forget you."
Mufasa: SIMBA! You have forgotten who you are; therefore, you have forgotten me. You are more than what you have become. You are the son of a true KING!

Make believe Disney spirit world conversations aside, there was a very profound point in this exchange. Simba had run away from his responsibilities and was living a life of leisure. Hakuna Matata (a Swahili term defined correctly in the movie as meaning -"no worries") was the mantra of the day. He had all but forgotten whose he was, so he was living up to his duties as the rightful king . The kingdom suffered greatly due to his neglect. In the movie, Simba went home and went to work and, with a lot of hard work, the kingdom was restored.

I wonder if we as Christians don't sometimes lose our purpose. Maybe, like Simba, we have experienced a great challenge or disappointment and sought to run away from our duties as citizens in the Kingdom of God. Have we ever found ourselves living in denial about what we should be doing (our own Hakuna Matata lifestyle)? Do we have a "no worries" while the people around us are living unrepentant and dying unsaved? Have we forgotten our spiritual Father and His son, our Lord? Do we forsake assembling with the saints (Heb 10:25)? Have we neglected the charge to make disciples (Matt 28:18-20)? Have we given attention to building ourselves up spiritually (2 Pet 1:2-11)? Are we engaged in the work of some ministry (Eph 4:11-12)? Have adapted a lifestyle that was learned in Christ as opposed to still behaving like those around us (Eph 4:17-32)? If we can answer "yes" to these questions I would say that we have made some progress toward the mark of the high call (Phil 3:8-16). If not, we are likely drifting away (Heb 2:1)! Which one are you more like; Jesus or the make believe Simba? Are we about our father's business or is Hakuna Mata (no worries) our motto? Only we ( as individuals) and God know for sure.

Bro. Eli