Help support the vision of Woodland Hills Community Church!

Help support the vision of Woodland Hills Community Church!
For those of you who would like to support the vision & ministry of Woodland Hills Community Church (the faith community I serve that continues to encourage me to minister outside the box), please click on the link just above.

Friday, January 16

Today’s Readings: Psalm 71; Isaiah 46:1-13; John 1:1-18; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; Psalm 129

During one of my trips home during my seminary years, I found myself bored one afternoon so I started rummaging through old boxes in our garage to find something interesting to read. While glancing at titles, one title caught my eye. The title was “In His Steps”; it was a classic written in 1896 by Charles Sheldon. I had never read it before so I thought it would be worth reading. While the language was definitely dated (and admittedly more than a little cheesy in many places), the book's premise resonated with me strongly. For those of you who haven’t read the book, the basic premise of the book tells the story of individuals who transformed their individual lives (and the life of their community) by asking themselves one simple question whenever they faced a challenge: what would Jesus do? While that question had floated around for a long time, Sheldon’s book helped popularize it (though please don't blame Sheldon for the way the saying has been marketed and commercialized!). While there are some in progressive circles who have dismissed the question by treating it simply as a hokey cliche, I’m not one of those folks. For those of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus, that hokey question can help bring a clearer focus to our lives. I was reminded of the question when I read today’s passage from 1 Corinthians – for in that passage Paul wrote: “to us who are personally called by God himself – both Jews and Greeks – Christ is God’s ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one” (1 Corinthians 1:24 from The Message). The simple question – what would Jesus do? – can be a helpful way of accessing God's ultimate wisdom. When I find myself starting to get sucked into a cycle of verbal and/or spiritual violence by a virulent personality like Rev. Fred Phelps, for instance, I can take a deep breath and ask myself, “What would Jesus do in response to Rev. Phelps message of hate?” When I find locked in a power struggle with someone over control, I can ask myself, "What would Jesus do in the midst of the struggle for control?" The list of possible applications of the question goes on and on. Today, when you find yourself in a situation where you are unsure of what to do, try asking yourself that age-old question – “What would Jesus do?” – and see if it helps you access some of God’s ultimate wisdom and insight. Til next time…

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