You see those letters on pins,
bracelets, necklaces and tee-shirts, worn by thousands of teenagers. By this time, most
everyone knows they stand for"What
Would Jesus Do". I hope it indicates
a trend, and not just a fad. If it is a trend, it's a good one, especially if that
standard is applied to all of our actions. I'm sure it must stem from renewed popularity
of a book popular many years ago entitled "In His Steps" by Charles Sheldon. If you have the ability to imagine Jesus
in our contemporary circumstances, it offers a way to make the right decision. The only
problem I have is a weak imagination. For instance, I can't imagine Jesus in a 200
horsepower (donkey-power?) two-ton metal box, jammed on a six-lane freeway with thousands
of others in similar contraptions. I really don't have time to go through the process of
imagining when some person displaying less than sane behavior tries to squeeze his metal
box in the short space between me and the metal box in front of me.
Of course, I know what Jesus
would NOT do. But what WOULD He do?
First of all, understand I am
not trying to justify my own unkind thoughts. I'm just illustrating the difficulty I find
in applying that advice to similar circumstances in my current situation.
To put it bluntly, I think the
emphasis should be on what kind of person Jesus is/ was, rather than what He would DO in
an individual circumstance. Let me explain what I mean.
Before I can truly act as Jesus
would act, I need to think as Jesus would think. Or, more to the point, since actions
spring from attitudes, I really need to adopt the Jesus-attitude. That's exactly what
Scripture advises us in several places. We are told that we ought to be changed from the
inside out (transformed) by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). In Philippians 2:6,
we are told "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." (NIV)
We need an attitude adjustment
before we can truly act as Jesus would act. It is not a mechanical change in behavior that
we need so much as a mental and spiritual transformation. That way, we won't have to go
through some mental gymnastics to imagine what Jesus would do in some hypothetical
situation. We will begin to think Ms thoughts after Him, and to reflect His life in our
lives.
Sorry, I don't have a shorthand
quickfix slogan for this process. Maybe it would help us to begin singing those old
choruses we used to sing, like
To be like Jesus,
To be like Jesus.
All I ask, to be like Him.
Along life's pathway,
From earth to glory,
All I ask, to be like Him.
Because, there's a vast gulf between just ACTING like
Jesus, and BEING like Him.
What Would Jesus Do?
