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This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

-Psalm 118:24


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Monday, November 24, 2008

walk as Jesus did

A friend of mine and I have been meeting with a group of students to look at 1st John. We've been studying it as a series of Tests for Truth. What would show others that we are walking in Truth? Joyful lives, having deep fellowship with other believers, living in the light, obeying God's commands...
and then we ran into 1 John 2:6:
"Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did."

What does it look like to 'walk as Jesus did'? I started to dig back into the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John which recount Jesus' life and teachings -in search of some concrete ideas of what Jesus stood for, how He "walked". Love your enemies, do good to those who sin against you, be poor in the eyes of the world, live dependent on God and people around you, sell everything you have and give to the poor, do not resist an evil person, give to the one who asks you, don't worry, do not judge, be a servant, be honest and trusting even when it hurts, forgive... the list goes on and on and on. Jesus brought a new perspective to the ways of this world and essentially turned the values we consider 'given' upside down.
This has been a refreshing study for me as I continue to see many ways I don't walk as Jesus did (so much chance to grow), and am encouraged in some of the ways I have dared to try to walk as Jesus did. He keeps challenging me as I come up with excuses -as if to say to me: "Just try it, and I'll help you be able to not judge, to love your enemies, to give, to not worry..."

I found it pretty simple to glance through Jesus' teachings and find succinct phrases that reflect His values. However, to stop there would be to miss out on seeing the full picture of how Jesus walked. We can't overloook the many stories of his life. Let me leave you with one last precious picture of my Jesus:
"The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." Mark 6:30,31

When the whole world screams that "accomplishment" lies in being busy and exhausted, Jesus calls us to get some rest and be with Him. What would happen if we really walked as Jesus did?

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