Ask Yourself, What Would Jesus Do?
By Simone Heard
If you’re a Christian, and one who desires to be like Christ, then act like it.
What would Jesus do?
He would embrace the ones you hate.
He would be patient with the ones you criticize and judge.
He would walk in love.
He would forgive.
He would show respect.
He would have a seat at the table with the ones you shun who don’t practice Christianity the way you do or are enslaved by all the legalistic and religious doctrine you believe are the end all to be considered a “Christian” because you, and your pastor say so.
He’d even love the ones you claim are on their way to hell just because they questioned or disagreed with you.
He would comfort the woman you and your church group ostracized and turned away for having a child out of wedlock. And He would still love the woman who terminated her pregnancy too. Even when you don’t think these women deserve a fresh start, another chance, and His love and grace.
He would love and pray for the couple attending your church who are going through a divorce that you and your worship team have been gossiping about.
He would comfort the pastor you and your church believes should step down from his position because his teenage daughter is pregnant.
He would show love, understanding, and compassion to the person you just racially profiled and stripped of their dignity and character because you, yes you, who claims to be a Christian, looked down on them and mishandled them because of the color of their skin and/or the country they came from.
He would take a seat next to the young man you and your ministry team judged for having tattoos.
He would seek the people you shun who you claim don’t have good “discernment” when they make a mistake.
He would wipe the tears of the teenage girl you rebuked and belittled and made feel like less because she was struggling with her sexuality and didn’t know what to do.
He would… wait for it… still associate with people who occasionally enjoy having a glass of wine, and likely wouldn’t question their salvation about it either. Do you recall the wedding miracle He performed? If not, read your bible (John 2:1-11).
He would still talk to (and not talk about) the guy you kicked out of your church and your prayer group for having different political views than you. Because deep down, regardless of who you’ve voted for or which team you’re supporting, everything in life is not black and white and we’re all weathering through some gray areas.
He would still love the ones you try to discipline and beat down with scriptures being used out of context.
He would not build a wall to keep people out or away from Him or from their families or from their own children.
He would see the young woman you treated as if she were invisible and irrelevant and unworthy and still use her and her life in extraordinary ways for His glory and purpose.
Are you being the kind of Christian this world needs more of, and more importantly, the kind Jesus would be proud of?
You have the opportunity to spread love instead of hate. Promote unity instead of division. You can listen and respect other people who may not share the same views as you or look like you or vote like you and you can even be kind to those who don’t attend your church every Sunday.
Jesus would.