Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. 1 John 2:6 NLT
If you asked a group of people this question, what answers might you get? “People who claim to know God should …”
- Join the church?
- Keep the Ten Commandments? (and any number of other laws)
- Drop any bad habits – drinking, smoking, etc.?
- Dress in a certain way?
All of those things are seen by some people as defining proof that they know God. But John, who knew Jesus, God Himself, very well, said those who claim to know God must live their lives as Jesus did. But in our world, we try to re-shape Jesus into the image people want Him to be. Republican Jesus. Democrat Jesus. Militant Jesus. Pacifist Jesus. Whatever the issue is, He is reframed to fit it and to prove He is on our side. However, the truth is we are to be on HIS side, and it’s a clear-cut issue of living as He did.
We must return to the original, to OG Jesus. The One who freely gave Himself, who loved the unlovely, who stood with the disenfranchised, who fulfilled the law and gave us a new command instead, to live, love, and walk as He walked. Read the Gospels. They were written by the men who knew Jesus intimately. They did live with Him. They touched Him, ate with Him, worked with Him. They saw Him clearly. They were amazed by Him.
Yet John said we should live our lives as Jesus did. He wasn’t referring to doing miracles. There was never anyone like Jesus and never will be. Yet John believed it was possible for us to do what Jesus asked us to do – to live a life of sacrificial love like Him. We can “wash the feet” of others by serving them and putting them first. We can love our enemies and pray for those who make life hard for us. We can extend our love far beyond the people who are like us. We can go out of our way to find and love hurting people. We can go to great lengths for other people and truly lay down our lives and priorities for them. We can love people more than rules and preferences. We can continue to love when we are betrayed and disappointed.
We can live as Jesus lived. We can walk as He walked. If we do, we will quit being religious. We will prioritize loving as He loved. We will get banged up and bruised sometimes, but it will be so worth it.
- Jesus, may I be recognizable as Your disciple by the way I live and love.