1 John 2:6 “Whoever claims to live in Him, must walk as Jesus did.”
If you look at statistics, over two billion people in the world identify themselves as Christians. That is quite a number. With such a high number of people calling themselves Christians, you would think that the world would be much different than it is now. You would think peace and love would reign supreme in the hearts of men.
Yet when we look around the world, we see injustice, hatred, immorality, and murder. We live in a world infected by the very opposite of what Christianity stands for. We may hear many people calling themselves Christians, but we see very few people walking as Jesus walked.
How did Jesus walk?
Jesus had a walk of forgiveness. When John and James wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan village that wouldn’t receive them, Jesus rebuked them and said that he came to save lives, not destroy them. Even on the cross, Jesus asked his Father to forgive his murderers. Too many would rather hold a grudge against someone than forgive. How many people truly have a heart of forgiveness? Let’s ask for, and receive forgiveness today.
Jesus had a walk of compassion. If you look at Jesus’ ministry, much of it was spent ministering to the sick. When a leper came to him for healing, Jesus reached out with compassion and touched a man that others would shun. When people were hurting, Jesus wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. What about us? Are we willing to overcome fear and take the time to get out of our comfort zone and show compassion?
Jesus had a walk of sacrifice. People expected the Messiah to come as a conquering king. Instead he came as a suffering servant. He came to serve, not to be served. He lived his life sacrificing his time and energy for the benefit of others. Then he made the greatest sacrifice by dying on the cross to pay for our sins. Will we sacrifice our time, money and energy for others without thought of personal gain? Our Session spends a great deal of time dealing with the physical demands of our church because of limited resources. Give generously that they might focus on our spiritual needs and our mission in Christ and not the physical survival of the church.
Jesus had a walk of service. He could have come in awesome glory but He chose to be a living example to us. He did not live as the kings of this world. He lived as a simple man with simple needs. He lived among us and ate and slept and worked and taught and yes, He even partied with us. Jesus did not live a life of apathy or inactivity. No matter how lowly, irksome or arduous the task He served joyfully and fully. He did not say one thing and do another. He is faithful and trustworthy. He actively sought out those in need and did something about their need. He did not just talk about it, or read about it, He did it. He was the ultimate servant and the ultimate example of good. Through His work and sacrifice, He is our salvation. How have you served another for Christ today?
Do we want to call ourselves Christians? Then we are going to have to walk like Jesus. What have you done today to touch a heart or change a life? It can be something as small as a smile that brings joy to a broken heart or a kind uplifting word for your spouse, brother or sister. Do not be self seeking, be Christ seeking. None of us is perfect, but if each of us makes a conscious effort to do a little better everyday, we can make a difference and walk with Christ. Make the effort, build the Kingdom, just do it!
Love one another,
The Church Mouse
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