HWJDMJ

     
      I'm guessing most of us can remember the WWJD acronym that became popular several years ago, "What Would Jesus Do?" The idea behind that campaign was to get people to think about how they handled themselves in just about any situation and compare that to the type of reaction we believe Jesus would have displayed based on His teachings and the scriptures pertaining to His life. Think "What would Jesus do if He saw a person stranded on the side of the road in need of assistance?" or "What would Jesus do if He happened upon a homeless person broken and defeated?" That list of questions could go on and on and the situations are unlimited, WWJD??
      Well my goal today is definitely not to create a new acronym for us all to paste on the back of our rear bumper or on a rubber bracelet. But I would like to pose a new question that I myself have been pondering, and one I believe is worthy of some personal self-reflection. My question to self is "How Would Jesus Do My Job?" Each of has a job, if you are a teenager your first job is school, if you work for a payday to support yourself or your family that is your job, and if you are a stay at home mother your job is, well your job is pretty much everything! Thank you mothers. We each have jobs part-time, full time, or maybe even all the time, but the point is not that you have a job, but how do you do that job and how does that compare to how Jesus would do your job.
   Colossians 3:23 gives us a directive that fits perfectly for today's FTM. The apostle Paul wrote "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters". I believe that is the mindset that Paul developed based on what he attained from the life of Jesus. If you study Jesus' life you will quickly find that his was one of service and definitely not one of being served. That is probably the first aspect of our "How Would Jesus Do My Job?" question. Service with a smile, service that wants to see the customer satisfied, service that makes the recipient ask the question, "Why do you work so hard at your job?" Jesus also worked utilizing compassion and empathy. Countless examples exist of Jesus teaching others about placing the needs of others in front of our own. I guess one of the most well-known examples to share would be Jesus' parable about the good Samaritan. Out of the three people that passed by the beaten and destitute man the Samaritan was the only one that had compassion and stopped to help. How many of us in our own jobs see someone that needs a hand or could benefit from some support, yet we stay wrapped up in our own little cocoon? Finally, what about the outcomes and outputs of our labor? Do we work to receive a paycheck or do we work to complete the work we have been given to do regardless of the personal sacrifice it takes to get the job done right? Here again Jesus provided the best example of following through and "getting the job done right". Just before Jesus was arrested and eventually crucified He pleaded “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me” Matthew 26:39. Did Jesus want to be tortured and hung to die on a cross? Remember He was human just like you and I, but He was also the Son of God and He knew that any sacrifice he made here on earth would be richly rewarded in Heaven. On top of that He knew He had to provide man with an example of what sacrificial service actually looked like. So that verse in Matthew finishes like this, "nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."
     So I ask you, "How do you do your job?" Does it resemble the work ethic of Jesus? Is your work effort solely based on what you will get out of your effort or do you go to work with a servant's heart mentality that pushes you to work for others the way that you would hope others are working for you? I don't expect to see a run on the HWJDMJ memorabilia, but what I hope to see is each of us working a little differently. A little more of a "How can I do a better job doing what I do?" thought process, and a little less of the "What will I get out of this if I work hard?" mentality. Life is short, I want to say I lived my life to the fullest and I worked each day to exemplify the life of my Lord and Savior!
Colossians 3:23
Coach Carter