His Ways

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are my ways your ways,” declares the Lord.

Isaiah 55:8

Several years ago there was a campaign with the slogan, WWJD, what would Jesus do. At first glance that seems like a great idea. If we all stopped to think, what would Jesus do, we'd make better choices. Sure, if we could even begin to know or understand what Jesus did and how he did it. We don't. So we did what humans tend to do, we made up our own idea and based it on a small part of Jesus' personality. The WWJD campaign suggested that we be meek and mild, like Jesus, always calm and caring. Sometimes that is exactly what is called for but it negates a large part of the person of Jesus. There was no gentleness when he was flipping tables at the temple. No meekness when he called the Pharisees hypocrites, blind guides, a brood of vipers (Matthew 23:13-36). There was no meekness there because Jesus knew exactly who he was and exactly who they were. Just as he does with us.

Still, the call to act as Jesus would is not a bad idea. The problem is that we don't really know. We can do our best to follow his directions and we should, but none of us is Jesus so we will surely fall short (Romans 3:23) While he was here with us, in the flesh, even Jesus didn't act on his own.

In John 5:19 he tells us, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself, he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”

So what would Jesus do? He would listen to the Father, his Father, our Father and in that the campaign of WWJD, gets it right. If we would stop and listen to our Father as Jesus did, then we would know what to do and when to do it. Too often we don't. We take our limited human view, our vision, our thoughts, far too seriously and we make them seem to fit with God's view, with God's vision. We bend his rules and his ways to fit our situation.

The last few days I've been blessed to have a little extra time on my hands. Please note that I've been “blessed” by way of injuring myself and having no option but to stay very, very still. That hardship has had the silver lining of more time to speak to and hear from, my Abba. Often I'm not sure I understand what he is saying but I hold his Word close to my heart and I wait for revelation. If the Son can do only what he sees the Father doing than surely this daughter is no different. I am merely a branch (John 15:5), a very grateful branch that has been grafted to the Vine.

My thoughts are no where near my Father's thoughts and my ways aren't any better. I need to do as Jesus did and yield to the leadership that always gets it right.