What Did Jesus Do?
Every so often I equip my daughter and her schoolmates with the simple bracelet that says WWJD, i.e. "What Would Jesus Do?" The intent of the bracelet, which is in fact a brilliant idea, is a reminder to us that in all of our decisions we should consider the question "What Would Jesus Do?" in any given situation, the implication being that Christians should "imitate" the attributes of our Lord. Indeed, there have been many classics written in this stream of thought - I have reprinted two of these classics in their entirety below, both Thomas a Kempis's "The Imitation of Christ" (ca. 1460) and Charles Sheldon's "In His Steps" (ca. 1940), upon which the WWJD bracelet was based:
Simply, though, when the youth group at Calvary Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan started studying Sheldon's work and applying the principle of WWJD, they came to realize that it had a profound practical effect. "Yes, if we imitate Christ, we become more and more like him and begin to exhibit his principles and express his image."
In the new Christianity Today, there is an article What Did Jesus Do? which essentially breaks down the simple "WWJD" into 7 principles, which are:
1. He sought the Father.
2. He embraced the outcasts.
3. He restored broken lives.
4. He confronted hypocrisy.
5. He taught God's word.
6. He served.
7. He equipped leaders.
Read the CT article story and glean as much as you can from each principle.
