Literally living like Jesus every day may not be physically possible in 2019. Just look to the short-lived TV show “Living Biblically” or the drastic measures Rachel Held Evans took to show us how literal interpretations fall flat. But that doesn’t mean taking the lessons He taught us and applying them into our modern-day lives is not doable.
It’s not about the food He ate. Even Jesus made that clear.
“Jesus called the crowd together again and said,’Listen now, all of you — take this to heart. It’s not what you swallow that pollutes your life; it’s what you vomit — that’s the real pollution’” (Mark 7:14-15 MSG).
It’s not about the clothes.
“If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds” (Matthew 6:25-26 MSG).
So what is it about? What does living a life of “God-worship” look like? How does one go about living like Jesus every day if there isn’t a list of rules to accomplish it?
The answer is simple. We love. You and I were called to love as Jesus loves. Not the romantic love for a spouse or romantic partner, not in the parental way we love our children. We were called to love everyone every day.
In John 15:11-15, Jesus sums up all of the previous laws, everything the Father had sent Him to tell us, and the reason behind each of His actions: “I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father” (MSG).
Jesus let us in on the God secret and it was this: “I just want you to love one another.”
It sounds so simple, and yet we continuously get it wrong.
We each have a filter through which we see Jesus’ love. Wanting it to fit into our own political or social view, we distort the overall message; we give up the forest for one tree. Jesus’ love grew more and more inclusive with each passing day of His ministry. He welcomed in the Jew, the Gentile, the friend and the stranger. To live like Jesus did every day means to love the person in front of you.
If you are wondering what it means to authentically follow Jesus, join us on Unfiltered Radio as we investigate who He claimed to be and how He taught us to interact with one another.