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Writer's pictureJeff Chacon

“What do you expect me to do?! I’m not Jesus!”

These days – perhaps more than ever – it’s so important to be like Jesus in our communication.


Let me tell you a story…


About five years into our marriage, Lisa and I were having some conflict in our marriage and soon found ourselves in the living room of another Christian couple seeking biblical counseling.


After patiently listening to both sides, the brother turned to me and read a passage about what Jesus would do in my shoes. I was so angry, I could explode! Finally, I blurted out in frustration and anger: “What do you expect me to do?! I’m not Jesus!”


There was an awkward moment of silence…


And then we all started… laughing!


And not just a little; I mean we just started cracking up and rolling! It was hilarious!


The absurdity of my objection was not just wrong – it was laughable. Literally.


Of course, I’m not Jesus! …But that’s the whole point of our Christians lives – to be like Jesus!


That’s the commitment we made when we became Christians; we said: “Jesus is Lord” (Romans 10:9). That’s the whole point of being a follower, or “Disciple” of Jesus – to be like Jesus!


1 John 2:6 = “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”


Jesus is the goal of our lives, the standard for our lives, and the expectation we need to have for ourselves as Christians.


Otherwise, how are we to understand passages like these?


“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” (Philippians 2:5, NLT)


“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2, NLT)


“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” (1 Peter 2:21, NIV)


God’s Word is clear: Jesus is not just the ideal; he’s the standard for our lives as Christians.


That moment in my life stuck with me. And from then on, I made sure that becoming like Jesus was not just an ideal for me, but the standard for my life.


How about you? Are you being like Jesus right now?


Q: Are you praying for your enemies? Are you forgiving others? Are you extending the grace and mercy of our Lord to others?


“What do you expect me to do?! I’m not Jesus!”


1 John 2:6 = “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”


Q: Are you believing in people? Trusting their hearts? Giving them the benefit of the doubt? Assuming the best about them? Protecting their reputation? Loving them?


“What do you expect me to do?! I’m not Jesus!”


1 John 2:6 = “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”


Q: Are you being like Jesus in your communication on social media?


“What do you expect me to do?! I’m not Jesus!”


1 John 2:6 = “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”


Q: Are you shutting other people down because they don’t agree with you?


“What do you expect me to do?! I’m not Jesus!”


1 John 2:6 = “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”


Brothers and sisters, we live in very hateful and hurtful times right now. Let me urge you to not fight with the weapons of the world: “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.” (2 Corinthians 10;3-4a, NIV)


The weapons we fight with are the weapons of Jesus: love and compassion, patience and kindness, grace and truth.


Q: Not sure what to do right now? Not sure how to respond to others, or what to say to them?


Ask yourself this simple question: “What would Jesus do?”


Because that’s not just a nice bracelet.


It’s the goal of our lives, the standard for our lives, and the expectation we need to have for ourselves as Christians who are accountable to Jesus.

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