Lessons From the Karate Kid (Living Peacefully, Passionately and Purposefully for God)Sample

Lesson 2: Do It From the Heart

Yesterday, we spoke about how Mr. Miyagi and Mr. Han in The Karate Kid films taught their students to value peace rather than fighting. Today I want to talk about another point that these two teachers taught their students, which is, “Karate comes from the heart, not the head.”

Now, we don’t all do Karate or Kung Fu, but the same principle can be applied to our lives. In one of the Karate Kid movies, Mr. Miyagi says to Daniel, “Karate comes from here (pointing to the heart), not here (pointing to the head).” I thought that Karate was just a martial art. So what was Mr. Miyagi trying to say here?

Mr. Miyagi was really saying, “Do Karate as if you mean it. Do it with passion and not just out of anger or for self-defence.” Karate teaches you respect for others and a way of peaceful living. Karate is supposed to be a way of living, not just a martial art.

Wouldn’t it be good if we as Christians can live our lives like that? Don’t just be a Christian because your family/friends are Christians or they go to church, and you don’t want to be left behind. Be a Christian as if you are doing it for Jesus Himself. Serve God from the heart, not just from the head.

The Bible says in John 4:24 that God is looking for true worshippers to worship Him in Spirit and in truth. What does this mean? It means that we should serve Jesus from the heart. Living for Jesus is a continual process, not just a one-time event. We should live daily for Jesus from our hearts, not just our heads.

When you go to the store today, shine the light of Jesus. When you go to work today, shine the light of Jesus. When you have difficult people who frustrate you today, shine the light of Jesus. The darkness of the world cannot stand against Jesus’ light in you. (1 John 4:4)

Today, I want to encourage you to be different in this world. You may be the only representative of Jesus that someone ever gets to see. Let Jesus live in your heart and let Him live through your life to others. Just like these two martial arts teachers taught their students, we should do what we do from the heart. Worshipping Jesus comes from the heart, not the head.

I pray and believe that you will find this lesson encouraging, and I hope you learned something new today. Have a blessed day.