HWJL

Matthew 20:17-19 (NLT)

17 As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him. 18 “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. 19 Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”

In these verses Jesus shares privately with His disciples what some would take as bad news, words of His impending death. Yet what sounds like bad news is repeated throughout the New Testament as the Good News of Jesus Christ, since God raised Him to life on the third day. Then God allowed Him to appear, not to the general public, but to those whom God had chosen in advance to be His witnesses. They were those who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.  And He ordered them to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is The One appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. He is The One all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in Him will have their sins forgiven through His name.

Especially during the 90s there was a popular Christian youth bracelet that had the letters WWJD imprinted on them. The letters stood for “What would Jesus do?”  It was a reminder to the youth on how they should act – they should do as Jesus did.

Another important phrase for all of us to remember is “How would Jesus love?” or HWJL. Some men are quick to pick up on The Bible verse, “As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.” But Men often tend to miss the next verse in Ephesians 5:25, “For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her.”  Husbands, are you willing to give your life for your wife out of love? I think a woman who truly knew her husband loved her that much would be willing to listen to what her husband has to say and follow with him. For love does no wrong to others.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

This is how Jesus would love, how do you love?