Doing What Jesus Did
"Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father." John 14:12 NRSV
Series: Doing What Jesus Did
Devotional: 1 of 4
Who are you following? Perhaps a world leader. Maybe your favorite entertainer or sports hero. Or the brightest minds in the fields of science and health. The truth is, everyone is following someone or something.
For the apprentice of Jesus, what does it look like to "do the works that He did?" (See John 14:12 NRSV) Like His first disciples, Jesus is inviting those who willingly choose to follow Him to observe through Scripture all that He said and did, to take their first wobbly steps of obedience as they join Him where He is already at work, and to live into their life's calling empowered by the "Spirit of Truth who abides in them." (See John 14:17 NRSV)
There will always be a temptation to run ahead of Jesus and His perfect timing. When we do, we end up falling into the trap of "doing lots of good things" for Him on our own strength and often for our own glory. Doing what Jesus did should always be the natural overflow of abiding with Him in the stillness of solitude and silence (See John 15:5 NRSV). In this place, the Holy Spirit leads us to God's will for our lives in the present moment and transforms our hearts into the likeness of Jesus along the journey.
Time alone with Jesus in the quiet place changes the way we see the people around us. We begin to see people the way Jesus sees them - through His eyes of compassion. We see them as people uniquely created in the image of God with incredible value and worth. We see a transformed version of who they might become in Christ, not just what is true about them in the present moment. We see them through the eyes of the Good Shepherd who cares deeply for His lost sheep. We see them differently, because "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (See Romans 5:5 NRSV).
When you look at your life, what is driving your actions? In this series, we will observe the works that Jesus did as He encountered three desperate people: a tax collector, a paralytic, and a leper. Each encounter reveals to us as Jesus' apprentices one aspect of how we are to model our lives after Him.
This week, begin to observe the people and places that are shaping the person you are becoming. As you do, consider how these voices are influencing what you do with the time God has given you on this side of heaven.
OnThe3rdDay Devotionals
Devotionals that illustrate Biblical principles in a simple and short format that can be applied to your everyday life.
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