Week 7 Day 4 Devotions
What Would Jesus Do?
“Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:6
Our focus this week has been “giving” and in particular of course giving to the needy. Our model for giving is based on what Jesus taught us about giving. The entire Gospel is of course about giving from beginning to end. John 3:16 which is sometimes referred to as the gospel within the gospel has these words: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son.” God gave, Jesus freely gave, and after the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit was given. Life in the Trinity especially as it relates to created human beings seems to revolve around giving; lovingly, selflessly and regardless of the cost.
In His life as it is recorded for us in the Gospels, Jesus from the earliest age gave himself over to the will of His Father. It might only be later in His life that we hear these words on His lips, “not my will but Thy will be done,” but those words sum up the reason behind everything that Jesus did. We are called to walk as Jesus walked which means in all things we are to ask ourselves that question which was so popular a while ago, “What would Jesus do?” The answer to that question is in some way always related to giving. Jesus gave Himself to acts of piety: He prayed, sincerely and privately and taught others to do the same. He studied the Scriptures, in a sense fed on them, discussed them with others, sometimes even in the Temple, and taught us to do the same. He retreated and fasted and taught us to do the same. He fellowshipped with others in the Temple, in the synagogue and in social family events and celebrations and He taught us to do the same. He submitted to baptism and taught us to do the same. He instituted the first service of Holy Communion and told us “to do this often in remembrance of me.”
He gave Himself in acts of mercy: He fed the hungry, He gave the thirsty a drink, He clothed the naked, He welcomed strangers, He visited the sick and the prisoner. He always sought to do these things in a practical way before doing them in a spiritual way and we should too. For example, give real food before spiritual food. What will it mean to walk as Jesus walked today?
Governed by thy only will,
All thy words we would fulfil,
Would in all thy footsteps go,
Walk as Jesus walked below. (515)
