By Toni Ford
Have you ever seen the letters “WWJD” on a frame of some sort or bracelet? Young people used to wear the bracelets with these letters on them which stand for “What Would Jesus Do?” The best place to find this answer is in the gospels, where we see numerous examples of Jesus and His interactions with people, the disciples, and even His heavenly Father.
One example is found in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus is in the region of Galilee traveling throughout the towns and villages teaching and spreading the Good News of the Kingdom. He speaks to hundreds and thousands of people in these villages and we see a little glimpse of what He is thinking. Matthew 9:36-38 says, “When He saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.’”
Lessons from our Lord:
He saw. Jesus was always mindful of those around Him. Matthew tells us, “When He saw……” He never let His main goal of spreading the Gospel to the people keep Him from also seeing the people for who they were and what they were feeling, thinking or how they were acting. Still today, Jesus takes the time to “see” you and me, and He cares about the details in the midst of the big picture.
He felt. Jesus had emotions, and He felt just as we do. Scripture tells us, “He had compassion…” This is so important to remember when we are heavy with emotions and think that Jesus can’t relate to us. The truth is, He can relate, and not only relate but can carry those emotions and burdens for us if we allow Him to do so. This is also why it was so important for Jesus to come to earth and live as a human, yet without sin! He wanted to experience and know what we would experience and feel so that He could free us from all those feelings as a result of His death and resurrection.
He spoke. Matthew 9: 37-38 says, “He said to his disciples, ‘The harvest if great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into the fields.’” Jesus was aware of the need for more leaders. He was not only commissioning His disciples to lead but was teaching/modeling for them how to lead. The same is true for us today as believers. The harvest is great and there are many who need to hear and see the love of God demonstrated for them. It is our responsibility to be the hands and feet of Jesus each day, and at the same time be praying for more leaders and training more leaders to do the same. If we will be mindful to see and feel as Jesus did, we can’t help but speak and spread His Gospel and His love to others all throughout the day!
Lord, please help us to not be so caught up in our own agendas that we miss seeing, feeling and then speaking like you did and still do today! Thank you for being the true example for all of us to follow!
If you would like me to join you in prayer please email me at tonif77@gmail.com. I would love to pray for you!