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| Sallman |
In 1896, Charles Monroe Sheldon, authored a book entitled, “In His Steps, What Would Jesus Do?” In his novel, Sheldon wrote of a church that had become ‘comfortable’ in their Christianity. The church had a visitor on a Sunday. The man was, by today’s terminology, homeless. The pastor was appalled by the was the congregants received him. The pastor mobilized the congregation and some of the townspeople to follow Jesus' way of dealing with the issues of their time.
The subtitle became a watchword for people in the 1990s. Everyone of a certain age seemed to sport bracelets or wristbands with the letters WWJD, meaning ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ Over time, the idea died out.
Recently, that phrase came to my mind. I prayed a request to God for a long time. As I began to pray that evening, I heard “What would Jesus Do?” My sometimes-analytical mind broke it down into four different questions. Here is the breakdown:
What would Jesus do?
Teach
Preach
Heal
Forgive
What would Jesus do?
Would He argue?
Would He love the sinner?
Would He allow Himself to be distracted from his job?
Would He obey His Father?
What would Jesus do?
Jesus, the Son of God,
Jesus, our Redeemer,
Jesus, our Savior,
Jesus, our King,
What would Jesus do?
His Father’s work
Stand for His Father
As a large group of people across the world wait for the answer to their prayers, we must think about this timeless question. What Would Jesus Do?
I love analytical minds! And I love this post. Thanks for your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteJeanette: You are welcome.
DeleteThis was a wonderful way to approach that phrase/question. I loved that book, In His Steps, btw. And I do often ask myself, What would Jesus do? Now I will ask it with these emphases on each word. That is a great way to think and pray. Thank you.
ReplyDeletePam: I shared the rough draft of this post with my local prayer group. The leader said she had heard that process done to "I can do all things through I Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13.
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