See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ~1 John 3:1
Humility isn't thinking less of yourself, but thinking about yourself less. ~C. S. Lewis
I'm sure most of you recall the popular use in Christian circles of the WWJD, What Would Jesus Do bracelets. In my case, it's not a bracelet, but a "charm" affixed to my key ring, one I treasure as my daughter, Sarah, gives it to me. So thoughtful!
Two Sundays ago, Pastor Jared introduces a new series of sermons focused not on "What Would Jesus Do" but "What Would Jesus Undo?" Huh? Where can he possibly be going with this theme?
The idea comes from Jared's skepticism about seeing people wearing those bracelets, yet displaying anything but Christian-like behavior. Because, as he aptly explains, behaving like Jesus does not come naturally to us humans. After all, who among us can claim that we never think about how others perceive us; stop to help anyone in need even when it interrupts our lives; forgive quickly and often, or are willing to lay down our lives for the sake of another?
Hard questions, aren't they? Our secular culture runs counter-intuitive to Jesus' teachings. It values greed, envy and control, all of which is exacerbated by the lie that we can make it on our own without God's help. This leads to lives centered on us, not on God as they should be.
Especially in this age of social media, images of others' "perfect lives" only serve to make us feel "less-than." We make constant comparisons. We refuse to try new things because we imagine we might fail. As Jared stresses to us, we mistakenly think we're simply not good enough. This form of self-condemnation says I know myself better than Jesus does.
Our culture wants to label us, rank us, tell us that love is conditional. In order to be the best, you have to "Be the Best." Is that even possible? Of course not! There will always be someone better at what you may perceive as your best trait or talent.
But God.
Jesus willingly became one of us and willingly died for every one of us that we might be restored to a right relationship with the Father as He intended. From Adam and Eve to the present, we have all messed up, but because of Jesus' sacrifice, we are now works in progress in the glorious process of sanctification. If we even entertain the notion that we don't need God's help in doing this, we fall for the greatest lie of all.
Society may tell us that we have to earn love, but with God, that love is unconditional. There is nothing we can do more or less that can alter His love and grace.
Remember, my friend, you are created in God's image.
You are His beloved child.
You are enough.
Amen!
These are the bracelets Pastor Jared made for us to take and wear. Great way to start a conversation!
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Interesting take WWJU. Never even gave that one a thought. :) I do think Pastor Jared (and you) have it right. we are way too influenced by our culture and instead of sticking out for being different (in a good way), they have trouble telling us apart. Great thoughts today Martha.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Bill, for your thoughtful comment here. I hadn't thought of it in such a deep and meaningful way before either, and it was quite the wake-up call for me.
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You caused me to think, "What would Jesus undo in my life?" Ms. Martha. Clearly my sins, especially those committed after I gave my life to Him. But what else? Perhaps my fears of "I'm not good enough", my worries about what's next in my life or doubts of how He can bring good from such bad things/events in my life. Bottom line, I think Jesus would want to undo anything in my life that points away from Him and to the world.
ReplyDeleteThank you for giving me pause for thought this morning. God's blessings to you and Mr. Danny.
Pastor Jared truly caused me to put on my own thinking cap with this challenge, my friend, and I thought that all my readers here would react in a similar fashion. The world does want us to think we aren't good enough, but that's not how God created us to be in His economy. May we stay focused on Jesus and His love and not let the world's view distract us.
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I remember this fad, for that's what it was. It's the tendency we all have toward embracing "Phariseeism" - outward show, no inward change of the heart.
ReplyDeleteAmen to that, Glynn! All show and no go. That's definitely not what Jesus wants from us.
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Another brilliant post, Martha. I cannot add more to what you have said.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your Pastor. I find it insulting when people wear a cross on a chain yet behave in a totally un-Christian way. As for the saying WWJD; whenever someone asks me that in conversation I tell them that Jesus would not have got into this mess in the first place. They soon realise the problem is of their own making and stop blaming God for everything.
God bless you.
Your answer to those people who blame God for everything is exactly the right rejoinder, Victor. And it does give all Christians a bad name when some parade around with the log in their eye and criticize the mote in someone else's. Judge not lest you be judged is truer than true. We are fortunate to have Jared as our pastor.
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Bom dia minha querida irmã Martha. Obrigado pela visita e comentário. Já fui perseguido, num trabalho pelo simples fato de eu ser cristão. E as vezes, sou perseguido na Igreja onde eu congrego. Mais o meu alvo é o Senhor Jesus Cristo. Tenho uma grande coleção de chaveiros ou souvinirs que comprei em algumas viagens que eu fiz. Infelizmente, nunca saí do Brasil. Espero que esteja tudo bem com você e seus familiares na Geórgia. Um grande abraço do seu irmão em Cristo Jesus Evangelista João Luiz.
ReplyDeleteI am so saddened to hear that, Luiz. Persecution of Christians, and might I add those of the Jewish faith, seems to be rising at an alarming rate all throughout the world. We need to love others in spite of their hatred for us and, as Jesus said, pray for them. I always enjoy your blog!
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Boa tarde minha querida irmã Martha. Obrigado pela visita e comentário. A perseguição, sempre aconteceu e acontecerá, conosco que somos cristãos. Uma excelente tarde de quinta-feira, para você e seus familiares na Geórgia e um grande abraço do seu irmão carioca e em Jesus Cristo. Evangelista João Luiz.
DeleteThanks, Luiz, for responding to my comment. May blessings find you always!
DeleteSomething I have never thought about especially in regards to the WWJD fad. I suppose it's not really a fad if these 4 letters causes one to stop and think. I know that there are so many things that as a follower of Christ, I feel need to be undone but I also know it starts with me. I have to undo the things that I know are not pleasing to God. Wow Martha...this is a topic that could be discussed in many different ways. Lot of lessons could be learned..
ReplyDeleteI agree, Shug, that there are so many lessons to learn from Pastor Jared's WWJU challenge. We do have to take an honest look at ourselves and allow Jesus to come into our hearts and rearrange the furniture, so to speak. None of us can hope to be perfect this side of heaven, but Jesus will graciously help us every step of the way if we let Him.
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I really enjoyed this, Martha and Shug is correct in saying, this topic can be discussed in many different ways. Food for thought this Tuesday!
ReplyDeleteI remember after I became a Christian, one of my new church friends, told me I needed a fish sticker on my car. So I bought one, and as I drove home, I cut someone off. They rightfully shook their fist at me and I responded in a unlike Christ manner and then it hit me. Sanctification is a process - 3 weeks was not long enough for me after living a life of sin. I did leave the sticker on but it did challenge me every time I got behind the wheel.
That is a spectacular story, Debby, and I'm so grateful that you felt led to share it with us here. We can adorn our cars and ourselves with every bell and whistle that shouts Christianity, then promptly revert back to our old ways when provoked by an ugly situation. Sanctification is a process, indeed, and we have to be willing to allow Jesus to work out His salvation in us.
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If all of us would consider what our Lord would do in the situations that arise in our day to day life...would not this planet earth be a much better place. Such a good sharing Martha. Hope you have a wonderful day. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteIt would be a much better world, Debbie, if we all practiced what Jesus preached, that's for sure! First, though, we have to put our full focus on Him and let Him act through us so we can stand a chance of making the right choice and/or actions. May you have a wonderful day, too!
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I remember WWJD and also WWMD. I like the idea of changing it to WWJU. Yes, interesting conversation can come from that! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with WWMD, Terri. Can you let us know what that stands for? I'm glad you enjoyed the post, too. I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon and will be wearing my bracelet. I'm wondering if it will get noticed.
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Great word, Martha! In His Steps is one of my all-time favorite books. This sounds like a very interesting sermon series. I stopped asking WWJD a few years ago and replaced it with WWGGG - What would give God glory. Blessings, my friend.
ReplyDeleteOh, Deb, I do recall when you wrote that on your blog, so I deeply thank you for reminding me and sharing it here with all of us! That's the best question any of us could ask because it truly does remind us to think before we act and pray to know what God's choice would be. May He continue to undo everything that keeps us away from being more like His Son.
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Kudos to Pastor Jason for such a timely and worthwhile sermon series! Thank you for sharing his wisdom with us, Martha. Praise God he DOES undo so many knots in our lives: the sins we confess that he removes as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12), flaws in our character that the Spirit replaces with his traits (Galatians 5:22-23), self-centered desires that give way to what God desires (Psalm 37:4-5), and more!
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, Nancy, I'm praising God with you that He unties the many knots that wish to strangle us from loving and worshiping Him in the way He desires. The Lord wants us to be His witnesses to His glory here on earth, and we can only do that by confessing our sins and surrendering our all to His guidance and grace.
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Interesting sermon topic. Thanks for your summary, Martha. Blessings.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed the summary, Diana. Yes, this is definitely worth a deep dive into how are lives are reflecting our Christian values to the world.
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thecontemplativecat here. Recently we sat in a drive through while the car ahead of us was virtually screaming at the server for minutes. By the time she was done, our burger was cold. We sympathized with the server. The person? . Her car was covered with Christian stickers. Sad.
ReplyDeleteOh, Susan, that is sadder than sad, but it perfectly encapsulates what Pastor Jared's message was all about. As I mentioned in a previous comment, we can adorn ourselves with all the bells and whistles of Christianity, but what good is that when we act in the opposite manner? May we let Jesus do His work in us and not resist what He wishes us to become.
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Amen!-Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely amen, Christine!
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But God. I love this so much, Martha.
ReplyDeletePastor Jared's words, your retelling and readers' comments have sparked much musing! No doubt, they'll echo for days.
Oh, Myra, I hope and pray that these words will spark much musing among my beloved readers here! We are so fortunate to have Pastor Jared leading our congregation; he has an old soul in a young body, and he has many more years to spread God's wisdom and shepherd the flock.
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Thank you for sharing this message with us, Martha. It has truly given me some "food for thought". I know there are some thoughts and feelings and attitudes that Jesus would want to "UNDO" in my mind and spirit, and I need to allow Him to do so. Sometimes we like to to take charge and think that our way is the best way...or we have a pity party when things don't always go our way or we feel like we've been slighted or overlooked in some way. These are feelings that I tend to grapple with from time to time, and I have to turn them over to the Lord and ask Him to UNDO them in me and "Create in me a clean heart, Oh God." Thank you for this lesson today. I believe it was God-timed.
ReplyDeleteWe all find ourselves in that same place, Pamela, and I was so appreciative of Pastor Jared raising that fact into our consciousness. It is human nature to think that our way is best and to host those pity parties when things aren't turning out how we think they should, when we know, deep in our hearts, that all needs to be turned over to God's will. Yes, Lord, create in all of us that clean heart that we so need to live fully for you.
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I liked the post, what a great thought WWJD
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to know this post spoke to you, Jo-Anne.
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'Skepticism about seeing people wearing those bracelets, yet displaying anything but Christian-like behavior.' Yep, I can relate. I told my husband to get the fish bumper sticker off our car, since he yells at people who are driving too slow in the left lane. Anyway, great post, thanks. I just posted about humility, hadn't even read your post yet :)
ReplyDeleteI sure understand why you had your husband remove the fish bumper sticker off your car, Marja. His threshold for poor drivers mirrors Danny's! I'll be sure to read your latest post, my friend.
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Sorry to be laee again, Martha. Yesterday was crammed start to finish and to top it off, I sprained my ankle and could hardly walk. Oh well... at least it gives me a fresh realization of how blessed it is to be able to walk at all, especially in all those times when doing it didn't hurt at all.
ReplyDeleteBut on to your very relevant post. I also recall those bracelets and other WWJD jewelry. It's always an appropriate question to ask, but like so many other things that sound so good when we first hear them, it's easy to drift away from what they really mean. In my case, I didn't wear the bracelet or other items that had those initials. For one thing, I know that I'm far too prone to react, or to act, spontaneouosly without pausing to ask anything. So, my response is to shift the control lever over to the Holy Spirit and ask HIm to be proactive in guiding my responses and my actions in a way that honors the One we serve. That seems to work better for me than the initials. I wish I could say that i'm always respnseive to what He would have me do,, but as you indicated, we're all a work in progress. And once again, it has been inspirational to spend a few minutes with you. God bless you and Danny as you continue to bring Hid Kingdom to life down there in Georgia.
So sorry to hear about your ankle, Ron, and I do hope it's getting better every day! It seems, at our age, having things go wrong physically is just par for the course. Thanks for sharing your experiences with the WWJD movement. I think we're all too prone to react to something before stopping to assess the situation in front of us. We would be wise to shift that control, as you stated here, over to the Holy Spirit at the start of each new day and remind ourselves that He's in charge of every moment. May He help us guard our hearts and make way for right choices so Jesus won't have to undo the bad ones.
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First of all, I love C.S. Lewis's quote. What a gifted man of God, I think.
ReplyDeleteGoodness too, what a deep thought from your minister. What would Jesus Undo - well literally - nothing - I feel He did what He had to do to bring us to God. What would I undo - every sin I have committed and future ones. There are so many things I would try to change for the better. This is something I will give a lot of thought too. Thanks.
I've always loved C. S. Lewis for his wisdom and wonderful writings. Have you ever read The Chronicles of Narnia? Brilliant! And yes, I feel so grateful to have a pastor like Jared who is not afraid to go outside the box and make us truly think and challenge ourselves to be honest with how we react to situations and other people. Can we really do what Jesus did? Only if He is running the show in our hearts.
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You are so right about everything. The Father loves us no matter what, just as our real earthly parents do. Only even better.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Ginny! Being His child is one of the best things to happen to us in this life and in the next.
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What a wonderful topic to discuss, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome, Bill, and I hope you will be able to find the opportunity for discussion with friends in the future.
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Martha, I love Pastor Jared's message. What would Jesus undo. How true and sad it is when people display WWJD, yet act in a total opposite way. I'm grateful Jesus paid the price for us so we don't have to try to measure up or feel like we are enough or even compare ourselves to others. Jesus is enough and that's enough. We can rest in His work on the cross and seek to be like Him. God bless!
ReplyDeleteYes, Karen, Jesus is enough and that is enough for anyone who trusts in Him. I'm so glad you could connect with Jared's message. It truly made me rethink some assumptions that I had made about the WWJD message that I might have too carelessly flaunted back in the day.
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What a great post, Martha! I've got one of those red plastic WWJD bracelets. Your's is very thought-provoking.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you found this post thought-provoking, Barbara. Pastor Jared certainly had my attention from the get-go. Good to know, too, that you were a part of that WWJD club with me.
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Sim fomos criado a imagem de Deus, nunca mais tinha visto pulseira desse estilo, Martha feliz quinta-feira bjs.
ReplyDeleteWe certainly are His children created in His precious image, Lucimar. I love that our pastor took the time to make sure he made these for his flock.
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Thank you very much for this meaningful post and for your friendship, which I appreciate. Thank you also for your prayers. My husband seems to be in the final days of his life. It's extremely challenging as you can imagine. If God was not holding me up, I wouldn't make it. Aloha friend
ReplyDeleteOh, Cloudia, I am heartbroken for you and the loss you are currently facing at this time in your life. May God surround you with His peace, comfort and presence in these days and moments. I will certainly keep you in my prayers!
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What Would Jesus Undo? Now that is fascinating to ponder. Thanks Martha! and love that your pastor made bracelets for everyone too. Very creative.
ReplyDeletePastor Jared is both innovative and thought-provoking, Jean, in his willingness to provoke us to truly look in the mirror. Too often, I know I've fallen into the trap that says just being a Christian is enough. But is it really? If others don't see Jesus' love in us, than our life is not what God would want it to be.
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Creative title for a thought-provoking series!! Thanks for sharing all you learned!
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome, Jennifer! I'm glad you enjoyed the lessons from Pastor Jared's sermon. He is certainly gifted with wisdom beyond his years.
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Very provoking thoughts and insights shared, Martha. What would Jesus undo in this world we live in today? Should He walk physically among us today, what would He undo? I wonder if he would undo so many churches that speak His name but whose lives are unlike the humble life Jesus lived. Very much to ponder, indeed! Thank you for sharing an excellent post, rich blessings to you dear friend!
ReplyDeleteTruly, these are questions we can, and should, ponder every day, Marilyn. What if Jesus were to walk among us in our present condition and lifestyles? What would He think? What would He tell us? Would He find us to be stalwart followers of the faith or lukewarm, wishy-washy folks who choose to follow the world's ways? Pastor Jared gave us such great food for thought!
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This really touched me, Martha. The idea of undoing is so powerful--Jesus undoing fear, pride, and the lies we believe about ourselves. Your reminder that “we are enough” is exactly what my heart needed today. Thank you for sharing this message of grace.
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Yes, Veronica, I love that image of Jesus undoing all those negative thoughts we have about ourselves and pointing us back to Him is so comforting and life-giving. We are enough just as the Lord created us to be.
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Your pastor has a great take on that. Sometimes we need our sayings stirred up a bit to wake us up to their meanings, both in the original ways and in fresh ways.
ReplyDeleteAmen to that, Lisa! Yes, Jared truly made me sit up and take notice, hence the inspiration for this post.
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Perhaps if I waited before doing it would help.
ReplyDelete1 John 3:8: "To this end the Son of God has been manifested, that he might undo the works of the devil".
Waiting before doing is always a smart strategy, David. Thanks for including the scripture from 1 John 3:8, too.
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Bom dia, Martha
ReplyDeleteQue mensagem profunda o Pr. Jared levou a igreja a refletir. Devemos desfazer aquilo que construímos em nossa vida e que não está de acordo com a vontade de Deus. Um forte abraço.
I found it so profound, too, Lucinalva. This truly had me engage in self-reflection and I think others, judging by their comments, have done the same.
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