"I know the ten commandments. I even know the two greatest ones: Love God; love your neighbor as yourself. But I always feel like I am avoiding sin, instead of living for Christ. Help me!" That was part of a conversation I had with a man who honestly wanted help.

Does it touch something real in you, too? Many could be missing their joy in Christ, because they stumble in their living. Doubts - "I can’t seem to do the right thing." Fear - "What if I do the wrong thing?" Jesus came that we might have life in the most abundant way. Well? Could Micah’s answer be too hard? DO JUSTICE, LOVE KINDNESS, WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD. DO those things. God will say, "Well done!"

Hear Jesus again from His Sermon on the Mount. He reversed the law of retaliation: You have heard it said: an eye for an eye...BUT I SAY TO YOU... He challenged us to do the unexpected. DO SOMETHING ONLY GOD WOULD DO!

He turned love on its head: You have heard it said: love your neighbor...BUT I SAY TO YOU .. and He moved us into a realm of love we do not enjoy....loving our enemies. Again, DO SOMETHING ONLY GOD WOULD DO!

What is the key? He was doing only what He saw His father doing. I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent Me, (John 6:38). So, "WWFD: What would Father do?" we might hear Jesus ask. The Father guided Him and He succeeded. Now, we do not see His Father. No one has seen God. We only have Jesus. If we keep our eyes on Jesus and do what He would do...ah...there is my message! WWJD: WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

We are people of Easter joy - not people of Good Friday gloom. Winners, not losers. We are people who may not know all the laws. We might even break a few - today! But we are guided by Jesus Christ. We owe Him so much, OUR VERY LIVES... So...

What Would Jesus Do? We were out of the country when this slogan appeared all over the place. The letters were promoted, some even profited from "Jesus." I did not know about these goings on. I used this phrase in a message a number of years ago. After the service, some Americans came up to me and showed me their own jewelry. They said it was a hot item in the U.S. (Talk about feeling like a foreigner from my own country, :-). I looked more closely to some American athletes competing on TV.

Several of them wore the WWJD bracelets. They did not perform any better with their bracelet on, but they were making their own statement of faith. I heard this phrase in my own house. The woman I’ve loved for over 34 years and I were wrestling with a family problem. Around and around I went. Not Kathi. She very calmly invited me to do the very thing I had told others to do. She was applying those words to the family problem, while I was stewing! She gave me some of my own medicine. (It tasted very good)!

What would Jesus do? That question was posed first by Charles Sheldon. He wrote a best seller, In His Steps, over sixty years ago. As a minister in Omaha, Nebraska, he lived and worked during the Great Depression. It was during those days that his church was also struggling. He wasn’t sure what to do, so went out into his community.

During the course of the week he would go to different parts of the city and just be with those men who barely survived with what little work was to be had. But he did one thing more. He wrote their stories, then on Sunday shared his stories with the congregation. The messages became so popular that soon the sanctuary had what every preacher would love to have - standing room only. But he did not stop there. He challenged his people one step further. That step changed lives and led to the book, In His Steps.

"How many of you would be willing," he asked his people, "to test this question for 7, 14, or even 30 days? Imagine if you made your decisions each day by first asking, ‘What would Jesus do?’" He then told his church that with prayer and scripture, they would try to do what Jesus would do in their situations. Many people tried it. They were never the same. Christ gripped them in His love. He gave more than they owed!

WWJD. Some think you just open your Bible to do the WWJD. Not a good idea. One fellow tried. The first thing he read, "He went and hanged himself." He tried again and read, "Go and do likewise." One last stab at random searching, he read, "What you do, do quickly." I have books on guidance. I’m sure the Lord will guide me to give a message soon. Today we will have Christianity 101. Do you need a little help making decisions leading to the joyful life in Christ? I do! Let’s get (re)started.

Face it. There are times when things come our way that can place us on edge of disaster, or move us to greater delight in God. If we trust ourselves, we could end up in a mess. If we apply the simple question to what we face, while it may be painful, the results could produce life and victory and joy! Too simple or simplistic? Too childish? "It’s the 21^st century. We’re beyond that!" If we are, then how do we make decisions that honor our Lord Jesus Christ? Consider the first of two areas that call for WWJD.

Irritations around us.

Ouch! Almost always they involve other people! They cause no end of grief to us.

How we would like to avoid them, or better yet, correct them. Irritations can fill our day. Stand in line at your bank...the shortest line...and it stalls! Wait in line to have your prescription filled at your pharmacy. It’s a short line. No problem. You’ve got it made. You can still get the other errands done. Kids are waiting. But the person in front of you has special needs and a gizillion prescriptions to explain.

A bad day on the golf course can bring out irritations in a normal person. One fellow, totally frustrated with his game, threw clubs, bag and all into the closest pond and walked off. Those standing nearby were laughing, "He’ll be back." Sure enough, the fellow returned, went into the pond with his clothes on, found the bag, removed his watch and keys, then dumped the bag back into the drink. ("Golf - a good walk ruined." M Twain).

Jesus showed us how to handle irritations. Trouble is, we don’t really like to hear it.

He was showing us how to live! Be prepared. He is not impressed that we be "# 1."

I have come not to be served, but to serve, and give My life...(Mark 10:45). Waiting in lines gives us a chance to ask: WWJD? Irritations could come so that Jesus Christ could get our attention. He will give you the right thing to say! Pray in line. A novel idea. I suggest silent prayer in most cases. Who knows, as you wait for your turn, that your prayer could lead to saying words of our Lord, through US! Try it! You will be amazed!

Ministers get irritated, too. One day a good minister was to become a great minister, because one person cared to show him the love of Christ. The Scottish congregation irritated Andrew Bonar. He gave great sermons, but they were filled with judgment - his judgment. "What did you preach last Sunday?" asked Robert Murray McCheyne. "May the wicked be turned to hell!" came the Bonar’s proud response. "Oh." McCheyne responded softly. "But were you able to preach this with tenderness?" When we ask what our Lord would do or say, we will be stunned by a different approach to living! Andrew Bonar became a great preacher, because one cared to love him as Christ did.

Who knows what life has handed the person who is trying to help you? Irritations can be wonderful promptings from Jesus Christ. "Lord, what do you want me to see? Who needs a good word or touch from You through me?" He will show you.

Something deep must happen within us to deal with irritations. We must continually be filled with Christ. This comes about with Christ in prayer. So, what does your prayer life sound like? "God, bless me and my wife, you and your wife - us four - no more!" How long do you pray? Why do you pray? Your answer reveals how full you are.

Why did Jesus pray? To be with His Father. We owe Christ the same, for we owe our lives to Him. How did Jesus stay full of God? He knew the Father. He stayed in fellowship with Him. Recall the times of day He met with His heavenly Father. He praised and prayed:

late at night, (Matthew 14.23);

early in the morning, (Mark 1.35);

the whole night, (Luke 6.12);

When the seventy missionaries returned to Him,

He rejoiced in the Holy Spirit (Luke 10.21);

and in His High Priestly prayer, He prayed,

, Holy Father, righteous Father, (John 17).

Jesus took time. He knew how to praise the Father, and He knew how to ask the Father. He was the overflow of God’s love. Want to change your prayers? Take the time. Your prayers might get to be like Robert McCheyne’s: "Father, give me the gentle spirit that neither strives nor cries with others, but only with You." Know the Father’s heart! Take time to deepen your love for Him. BE HIS LOVE TO THOSE YOU MEET!

O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go, was written by George Matheson, it came after his fiancee left him. She could not see herself living with a blind person. He found out blindness would overtake him at an early age. Yet, the Lord never left him, but filled his life with a fullness only God could give.

WWJD? He praised and prayed. He entered into our lives with His love. That is what He invites us to do with Him. We are the people of Easter Joy. We are winners with Him. Filled with Christ, willing to do what He would do. He will show us how to live and to love. We owe Him so much! And at the end of life we might say,

When this passing world is done,

when we stand with Christ in glory

looking ore life’s finished story,

Then, Lord, shall I fully know

not till then how much I owe.

God of comfort

bid me show to the poor,