whoever says, “I abide in him,” ought to walk just as he walked. – 1 John 2:6
Have you ever heard the phrase “do as say, not as I do”? It’s funny little line that is usually said by an older generation to a younger in order for them to act differently, or perhaps better than the older generation that may be stuck in their ways, so to speak. I can think of that old phrase being used to try to keep children from picking up a bad habit of a parent, or as a way to deter a teenager from making a mistake that they might one day regret. I don’t know how that phrase came to be, but as a we work through the first epistle of John, we find a call that is much more appropriate to the Christians walk.
John tells the followers of Jesus, that if they truly abide in him, they ought to walk as he walked. In other words, do as Jesus did, not just what he said, but actually live in the same manner, share the same love, and treat people in the same way in which we observe the Master in the light of the gospels.
When I think about trying to live a life like Jesus, I tend to focus on my shortcomings, on all the ways I don’t live us to such a high standard, and I will often criticize my own behavior, because I think I should be able to do better. Some of this is due to me being a 1 on the Enneagram. (For those wondering, Enneagram, is a personality typing system that breaks personalities into 9 different types, with some spill over between similar types). While I don’t buy into personality typing often, I do find that the traits of a 1, especially, the “inner critic” is quite on point for me. Therefore, when trying to live up to the standard of Christ, I know all the ways in which I fail minute-by-minute, yet, failure isn’t really failure, but experiences to help us learn. In this case, learning to be more like Jesus.
It makes me wonder, how would Jesus respond to the world in such a time as this?
Jesus was no stranger to isolation, he would often go off on his own to pray, to be one with the Father. We often think of Jesus as being around large crowds, and he was for most of his ministry, but we also must remember that before he even called his first disciples, he spent 40 days in the wilderness, alone, being tempted. For Jesus this time of isolation would be a chance to reset, to focus on remember his purpose, to focus on giving praise in all things to the Father, and to allow the Holy Spirit to offer counsel and comfort. In these days, of isolation, I hope that we can think a little about Jesus and his responses. I don’t believe Jesus would be anxious, but in absolute trust, would know that things will be better soon, that God will bring healing and restoration to us and our land. We simply need to watch, pray, and know the counsel and comfort begin offered to us now, then when the time is right, we will know how to truly abide and walk as Jesus walked when this time of isolation is over.
May God’s word speak peace to weary souls today, Amen.
Grace & Peace,
Sam