WWJD or WWJS or HWJR
Falsely accusations; character assassination; malicious mud-slinging; twisted truths and slanted stories. It was more than a whisper campaign. The perpetrators were now boldly launching their missiles in broad daylight and one well-intentioned, godly, self-sacrificing, sincere and hard-working man was in the crosshairs of their firing artillery.
He knew he was innocent. On His knees before the Lord, he could look under every stone of his service for the Lord to see if he himself was at fault. As he rolled the stones over, he could find no moss of malice, nor mass of meanness, nor mold of mammon growing underneath. His conscience was completely clear.
If you haven’t been there yet in life, you probably will be. It’s one of the age-old strategies of Satan, to discourage, disrupt and to destroy a work of God and a worker for God. If you are living for Christ, seeking to please and honor Him in your life, at some point you will know you have become a target. How you respond at a time like this is absolutely critical. It’s called a defining moment in your life.
How did the Apostle Paul respond to the vicious attacks? As he saw those he loved being swayed by the false teachers and those he had seen saved starting to doubt his motives and waver in their affection and allegiance – how did he respond? He knew his converts, as well as the assembly at
Probably alone in his room, on his knees with scalding tears dripping off his chin, with his heart lifted to his Heavenly Master he thought: WWJD and WWJS? “In a situation like I am in, what would Jesus do? What would Jesus say?” Or a less known acronymic slogan: HWJR – How Would Jesus Respond?
With strength provided by the Holy Spirit, he was able to rise to the occasion. No, he didn’t run away, slink into the shadows and he didn’t wimp out. He wasn’t a coward. But in a letter to the very Christians who were being swayed by the enemy, he wrote words that give us an insight into ‘how’ he survived.
Now I Paul myself beseech you by
the meekness and gentleness of Christ……
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
(2Corinthians 10:1-3)
Notice he did NOT say:
“I beseech you by the example of my Master
whom I have learned would have approached a similar situation
with all shortfusedness, arrogance and pent-up revengefulness and with His usual hard-heartedness,
harshness and sharpness, roughness and severity…
We not only walk in the flesh but we must war according to the flesh
for our weapons are definitely fleshly and carnal.”
There is every reason to think that during this difficult period of Paul’s ministry that he kept himself focused on the Lord Jesus Christ. WWJD, WWJS and HWJR. Paul said: “Christ shall be magnified in my body….for me to live is Christ.” Philippians 1:20-21
There is nothing better that I can do as a believer than to meditate upon, read about, study, review, consider, compare, contrast, and enjoy Christ – learning about Him and learning from Him. It means I HAVE to set time aside each day to really get to know Christ through the Scriptures and in personal communion. Only then will I be equipped with the answers to the WWJD, WWJS and HWJR questions and only then will I have the Spirit-produced power to respond in a Christ-like way.
Are you reading and studying your Bible? Did you enjoy something about Christ today? You can not survive spiritually without a robust diet of the Word of God. It requires the rigorous self discipline of reading and praying every day. Without that incoming nourishment, you’re only kidding yourself if you feel you are doing okay.