A while back the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) bracelets were all the rage. They still pop up now an then. Like tying a piece of string to your finger, I believe the the WWJD bracelets were supposed to be reminders to live your life in a more Christ-centric way, to evaluate your actions in the context of what you think Jesus would do in a similar situation. It is certainly an appealing and catchy sentiment that appeals to our desires to “do the right thing.” There’s just one problem.
It’s asking the wrong question.
Asking WWJD means that you are guessing. You’re taking your best estimate as to what YOU think is the right answer in this situation. You are trying to live your life like Jesus lived his. So, does that mean that are you wondering if you should go overturn the tables in the temple courtyard? Should you go live in the wilderness for 40 days, or get in the Pharisees’ face about their legalism? Should you go hang out in the lunch room at IRS headquarters so you can fulfill your mandate to consort with tax collectors?
Uh….probably not. See, the thing is, you CAN’T LIVE YOUR LIFE LIKE JESUS, because he was the Son of God. He set an unachievable goal. He didn’t set us an example to follow…He gave us a path to follow! He didn’t come to give us a list of do’s and don’ts…He came to show us the way to the Father. Jesus only gave us two commandments…”You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.“ (Luke 10:27)
I propose that you can’t really do the second one until you start doing the first one!
So, instead of wondering WWJD, what we should be asking is, “What Would You Have Me Do, Lord?”
See, the thing is, we don’t have to wonder. We don’t have to guess. As believers in Christ we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we have a hot line straight to God, such that when difficult situations arise, we don’t need to look to our bracelet…we can go right to The Source.
While, granted, WWJD fits better on a bracelet or a T-Shirt or a bumpersticker than “WWYHMDL,” we need to understand that relying on our best guess estimates makes us the arbiters of truth. It becomes too easy to live life according to a series of handy, and often changeable “Jesusisms” that reduce His Word to little more than philosophical precepts. We might as well ask what would Gahndi do, or Buddha, or Oprah. Jesus was not just another philosopher exhorting us to live better lives.
He called us to live our lives in service to Him, and the only way we are ever really going to know what that is supposed to look like is to ask…HIM.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Prov. 14:12
The key word in this passage is the word “seems.” There is an answer which “seems” right to us, a way that “ought” to be correct, or a solution that “feels” good. Except that, if it is OUR way, then it is wrong.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord , and turn away from evil. Prov 3:5-7
Lean not on your own understanding. Rather than do what “feels right,” study the scriptures, pray, come before the Lord and ask Him to tell you what to do.
We are too easily swayed by the ways of the world to trust our own judgement when it comes to spiritual matters. So, instead of settling for What Would Jesus Do, let’s keep asking, “Lord, what do you want me to do?”
You may not always like the right answer, but it’s always better than feeling good about the wrong one.
Thoughts on Malachi
My studies took me to the Italian prophet tonight.
The book of Malachi is essentially God slapping the Israelites right upside the head because of their shallow, insincere, and downright insulting attitudes towards Him. The sad/scary thing is…I saw waaaaay to much of the modern Church in these passages.
Through Malachi, God rebukes His people for the crap they are bringing Him as offerings. A harsh word? Not really. They were bringing junk, garbage, crap…and offering it to the Lord of Lords, King of Kings. To say that He was a little put off is putting it mildly.
God asks if they would ever give such poor offerings to their local governor or magistrate? The answer would be heck no! Because they’d end up in shackles or picking up garbage around the village square on trash detail if they tried. But with God? Eh, whatever I’ve got lying around ought to be good enough…
God’s chosen people were offering tarnished trinkets, their lame and blind animals, rotten fruit and stolen goods as their offerings on the altar of Jehovah in the temple. And then they seemed to be confused and surprised when God condemns them for it.
It seems a lot like the father of a clueless teenager who can’t understand why he’s in trouble when you told him to mow the yard, and then he only did half of it and quit to play X-box with his friends instead.
Then I thought about the kinds of “donations” I’ve seen people give to the churches at which I’ve been a member. Heck, let’s be honest here, the kind of donations I have given to my own churches. Stuff left over from the garage sale. Stuff I found in the back of the closet or the attic, some of which doesn’t even work. I pawn it off on the church figuring, “Maybe somebody can fix it, and anyway, it’s finally out of MY house!”
I know for a fact people have used church donation drives as a convenient way of getting out of paying the dumping fee at the county landfill.
What does that say about us? That we’ll give stuff to God that even WE don’t want anymore!?
The words of the prophet Malachi make it pretty clear that God WILL NOT BLESS YOU OR HONOR YOUR PRAYERS if you come before His altar with this attitude. As a matter of fact, these token gestures of piety really anger our Lord, and He actually promises a curse for those who continue to do it! I, for one, was very convicted about my peevish frustration that an 11:30 service “takes up half my day” on Sunday, instead of being able to get in at 9:30 and be out before noon so I can “get on with my day.”
Sound familiar to anyone? Hmmm? To think, I begrudge God two hours of worship. I can’t spare two hours out of “my” day, to go with a willing heart to lay my offering on His altar. I should be frustrated and disappointed that that’s ALL I get, wishing it were more, not less. Like I said, Malachi has been hitting a little too close to home!
Malachi also makes it clear that tithing isn’t optional. This kind of surprised me, because I’ve always heard tithing presented either in the form of a plea from the pulpit, or as a personal decision between me and God. According to the words of God in Malachi, failing to tithe is “robbing God.”
It is also clear that God views the marriage covenant between a man and a women as every bit as important, binding, and sacred as His covenant with Israel. We see here again the archetype of the marriage, and foreshadowings of the NT teachings of the “Bride of Christ.” God promises the same sort of anger and retribution for men who deal with their wives “treacherously” as those who bring corrupted offerings to His temple. Interesting.
I ‘ve also come to see Malachi as actually a pretty powerful book about…fatherhood, believe it or not.
Despite the harsh language, it’s actually a book of love. Huh? Yup. Read it, you’ll see. When I read this book of the Old Testament, I heard a frustrated father scolding his clueless children for their disobedience. I have BEEN that guy, frustrated nearly to tears, stating for the leventy-zillionth time what should be obvious, self evident truths to children who just stare at me in bemused surprised like I just told them the sky is green. He threatens them with terrible consequences, but he ALSO promises great rewards. He lays it out, in plain and simple language. He is setting boundaries, house rules, complete with punishments and rewards, in such a way that they can’t come back later and say, “Wull… I didn’t KNOW! You didn’t tellll me THAT!“