What Would Jesus Do?
Have you ever been in a situation that you absolutely did not know what to do? You must do something, for doing nothing cannot be tolerated. If you talk to ten different people you will probably get ten different answers.
What about when your behavior is not what it ought to be. How do you decide what is the better way to behave?
Miss Nita has me over a barrel, especially when I act out of line. If the behavior is challenged and if I resist the challenge, she simply says, “What Would Jesus Do.?” Boy, that kills me every time.
Did you ever play what if? Sure you have! If I had more money I would… If I knew more about the Bible I would… Ah! You’ve done this before, haven’t you. You’ve played what if.
OK. What if when we need to make good decisions we simply asked, “What would Jesus do? What would He decide.” “Would Jesus take this job if He were in my place?” “If Jesus has children like mine, how would He handle them?” “If Jesus were faced with this opportunity, what would He do about it?”
What if is a powerful decision assister. Many of the database and spreadsheet programs now have a “what if” feature. It lets you take your business figures and play what if. What if our sales increase by $20,000 this year. What would be the difference in the tax structure? What if we spend this much more on deductible items for the business, what difference will it make in the tax and income figures?
What if the church gave itself back over to Jesus. What difference would it make in our effectiveness if He were really Lord of our lives. If Jesus were an elder or preacher or member in our congregation, what would He do that we’re not doing?
Try for a moment to let your imagination run wild. Just take the lid off and try and visualize a church, who in full body, gave themselves over to the leadership and direction of Jesus Himself. Can you see it? Does it look any different that what you’ve always seen?
What would Jesus do if a missionary approached Him and needed His assistance to work on the mission field? How would Jesus respond to that? What would He do about it? Would He help or hinder?
What if a brother in the congregation were having a problem with another brother (remote probability, of course)? If you had to close your eyes and imagine what Jesus would do about it, what would it be? Listen carefully to the words you imagine you hear him say. Watch His face and His body language closely. How does He react.
Now, what if we took that approach to dealing with one another? What if we were to handle things the way Jesus handled them? Would it make a difference in our relationships? Would they last forever the way they are suppose to? Would the church be a better place for it?
Jesus is a sure thing. What I do or what you do, even with the best intentions, could be wrong. But, this is not so with Jesus. He is tried and true. He has struggled with every area of temptation, just like we do, yet, He was without sin. Jesus is the standard.
If a church would take on the character of its Lord and emulate Him in every way, we would be a haven of rest for all the weary travelers in life. If we were to make a concentrated effort to be more like Him today than we were yesterday, our buildings would not hold the people who would flock to Him through our fellowship.
What would Jesus do, Miss Nita asked? The way I figure it, He would do most things differently from me. His heart would be pure at all times. His thoughts and intentions would be on whatever was best for the Kingdom and the Kingdom people. He would show me a better way and be patient with me until I got there.
One more “What if.” What if you and I decided right here and now to become more like Him? What would we have to do differently than we are doing right now with our lives? Would any change be necessary? I guess the question comes down to this; If Jesus were me right now, what would He do about me?