BETTER THAN ‘WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?’
Christine Wyrtzen
“Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.” Luke 11:44
Jesus words to the Pharisees made them angry. The lawyers among them were hostile and proceeded to question Him in private about His warning. It was obvious to Jesus that their status among the people was foremost in their minds and they couldn’t conceive that their hearts were really like tombs. Before God, they were unclean.
Jesus message was consistent with the prophet’s words. God looks at the heart. Mankind looks, and is obsessed with, exterior appearances. If we do things that make us look bad to people around us, it’s much easier to change our behavior than deal with our own sinful hearts.
If we are not careful, the church becomes little more than a catalyst for behavior modification. We can be consumed with asking the question, “What would Jesus do?” Then, gritting our teeth, we take on the challenge of acting like Him. While that can sound good, as evidenced by the millions of Christians who wore the bracelet that asks the question, our preoccupation needs to progress to an inward look.
I don’t want to just concern myself with doing what Jesus does. I want to think how He thinks. I want to feel how He feels. I want to love what He loves and despise what He hates. My sinful heart needs washing, then re-wiring. The water of the Word promises to do both but before I can walk in newness of life, I have to acknowledge the stuff in my heart that is not like Jesus.
I cannot butter you up and try to be the Teacher’s pet. You see right through me. I can dare look at my sin because You already died for it. I give up my defensiveness. Amen
Originally published Wednesday, 05 December 2018.
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