“It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” Galatians 2:20 NIV
The idea for this post came to me a couple weeks ago while I was recovering in a mental health facility. Since I’ve regained my sanity and am back at home, I’d like to challenge you with the following question: Before making decisions, should Christians ask themselves, What Would Jesus Do? Or instead, should they ask, What Would Jake Do? To help answer this question, let’s reflect on the story and purpose of the W.W.J.D. bracelets. Then let’s dive into the Gospels and see what we can learn.
Remember when all the cool kids sported W.W.J.D. bracelets? By the time I was 16 I owned like ten of em’. Sometimes, when I felt like it, I wore em’ all at once. But most of the time I only wore one at a time. This was enough to get the point across – that Jesus Christ, the Son of God was living inside of me. Advertising this truth on a bracelet was like shining a bright light in the darkness surrounding me. Like wearing an American flag tank top in Pakistan, the bracelet provided an answer to those who wondered why I was such a great guy. This resulted in countless conversions from those who wanted what I had – Jesus. It saved time because instead of talking about Jesus, I’d flash my bracelet and people were like, “ahh I get it now – Jake’s got Jesus – that’s not fair – I want Jesus.” As you can see, the bracelets were great witnessing tools. But were you aware they served another purpose?
In the early 90’s, Janie Tinklenberg, a youth group leader from Holland, Michigan, invented the bracelet, thinking it would make people (who wore it) more like Jesus. Her idea was if someone wore the bracelet, throughout the day they’d ask themselves, What Would Jesus Do? By asking this question, Mrs. Tinklenberg concluded a person would automatically act like Jesus. It was a brilliant idea, except for one flaw.
After hearing about the bracelet’s potential, I gave it a shot and used it in my everyday life. When tempted or about to make an important decision, I’d look at my wristband and ask myself, What Would Jesus Do? Unfortunately, the answer to this question never helped.
For instance, one time I intercepted my 10th grade high school report card from the mailbox. Because I got like all D’s, I didn’t wanna’ hand it over to my mom. So I asked myself, What Would Jesus Do? The answer to this question was: Jesus never went to High school. Had he gone, he would’ve received all A +’s. So the question didn’t work for that scenario. Why? Because it’s only when we look to the Gospels that we know what Jesus would do.
To dumb it down, I created a table and split it in two columns. The left side asks, What Would Jesus Do? And based on what Jesus did in the Bible, the right side provides the answer.
This list could go on but eventually there’d be an end to it because only parts of Jesus’ life were recorded. Aside from the Gospels, we don’t know what Jesus would do. You may be asking yourself, if I don’t know what Jesus would do in my situation, then who do I turn to for guidance? This great question is answered by my role-model, Benny Hinn.
“When you say I am a Christian, you are saying ‘I am a messiah’ in Hebrew. I am a little messiah walking on earth.”
–Benny Hinn (Praise-a-Thon, TBN 6 November, 1990)
Pastor Benny understands the biblical truth that Jesus enters and takes up residence inside a person who becomes a Christian (Get Saved). So, although Jesus lives in Heaven, He also lives in every Christian.
As you can see, instead of asking what Jesus would do, we should ask a Christian friend what they would do. And since Jesus is living inside of me, you can ask, What Would Jake Do? But if you’re too intimidated to ask me, call a Christian friend and ask what they would do. So, really, What Would Jake Do, could be What Would (insert name of Christian friend) Do? And if you don’t have a Christian friend to turn to for guidance, feel free to contact me – I’d love to tell you what I would do.
Instead of looking to Jesus, do you have Christian friend you can turn to for guidance? If so, did you do as they would do? What were the results? If you’ve turned to me for guidance, how has it helped you? I’d love to hear your story.
This post is dedicated to my friend, Doug, who visited me at the mental health facility