January 2009 Devotion

WWJD & WWWDFJ
Greetings! May the Spirit of the Lord Almighty be with you and yours in this New Year and month of January! The Lord our God is faithful and deserving of all praise. Let us be fearless as we unashamedly seek to live a life fully dedicated to Him. The world desperately needs to hear, know, and see the redemptive message of Christ at work. Let us be faithful, therefore, to honor our Lord, our Savior, and our Comforter in all that we say and do.

How shall we honor Christ? Remember that phrase, WWJD (What Would Jesus Do)? Let’s take that and add to it WWWDFJ (What Would We Do For Jesus). How would we treat Him if we came face-to-face? The fact is that we meet Him every day.

'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of
mine, you did for me.' – Matthew 25:34-40 (NIV)

To honor Christ we must do for others as we would have done for Him, and we must treat all men with the same love and honesty that Christ did. This brings to mind other questions: Who do we honor? Who do we respect? Who do we invest in? Christ honored the sincere and the faithful. He honored many who were held to be of little account by the world around them. He honored the poor widow (Luke 21:1-4) and the criminal who hung next to Him on the cross (23:39-43). Jesus loved those who were despised. He honored Zacchaeus the tax collector (19:1-9) and the Roman centurion of great faith (7:1-10).

Would we see these people as Jesus did? Do we treat the people in our lives according to their status and title, or according to their hearts and motives? Are we afraid to take the stand that Jesus did? These are all questions that should be on our hearts as we seek to grow in Christ. Jesus mandated us to take His message to the world (Matthew 28:16-20).

This is not always an easy way to live. Are we willing?

Jesus expects us to treat all men with the respect, honor, and kindness which we would have treated Him, and to unapologetically carry His message of justice, worship, love, forgiveness, and redemption. Each and every day is one that we have to live for Him, and one that we will never have again. Our families, our friends, our colleagues, and all the people of the world NEED us to honor Christ TODAY.

May you find the strength and wisdom through God our Father to live in such a way that all would know that God reigns in your life; “as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Be blessed!!!

Brad Zimmerman, RUC Chaplain