Rooted in WorshipSample

Hands and Feet

Saint Teresa of Avila once said, “Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion for the world is to look out; yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good; and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.”

That is a beautifully humbling thought. How does this make you feel? Excited? Nervous? Intrigued?

For many years, there have been bracelets that say “W.W.J.D.,” which stands for “What Would Jesus Do?” You may still have one of these bracelets on your wrist or in a drawer. Although the overwhelming popularity of the trend may have watered down the punch of the statement somewhat, the question is still one of the most powerful questions we can ask ourselves. As Christ’s body, we should constantly ask, “What Would Jesus Do?” The good thing is that we don’t have to blindly guess. Jesus lived in our world and walked in our shoes. If we want to know what he would do, we should study what he did.

First, Jesus regularly spent time alone in prayer and communicating with His Father. We see this habit over and over in the Gospel accounts. Luke tells us, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16).

Some examples of this:

After a long and exhausting day of ministry work. (Mark 1:32-37)

Before a big decision. (Luke 6:12-16)

When experiencing anguish during trials. (Luke 22:39-41)

The fact that prayer is so consistently mentioned in the short biographies of Jesus’ life clearly indicates that prayer was a way of life for Jesus. Those around him noticed that his life was defined by abiding times of prayer with his Father. As the body of Christ, let us do what he did. Let our lives be defined by “often withdrawing” in order to meet with our Heavenly Father in prayer.

The second distinctive that guided Jesus’ life is connected to the first. Jesus wanted to know what the Father was up to and join him in his work. In John 5:19-20, for example, Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.” These are a few power-packed verses! Jesus had the joy of working with the Father because of the following:

1. Jesus did not expect to do anything by himself.

2. Jesus watched for the Father’s movement.

3. Jesus joined his Father in his work.

4. The Father delighted in showing Jesus what he was up to so they could work together.

Does this list resemble your decision-making when it comes to kingdom activity? Do you watch for where the Father is moving and then make every effort to join him in his work? Do you watch and listen for the prompting of the Holy Spirit throughout your day? Do you move first and then ask God if he wants to join you, or do you humbly ask him to take the lead?

As the body of Christ, let us do what Jesus did.

In our own lives, we often encounter daily disruptions and unexpected distractions. Jesus faced these as well, but he stayed in constant connection with the Father to determine if these “disruptions” and “distractions” were actually opportunities. As we seek to join the Father in his work, we will also see that some of the “disruptions” and “distractions” are actually opportunities to be the hands and feet of Christ.

Instead of ignoring the phone call, avoiding that neighbor, declining the invitation, or looking the other way from the homeless person in front of you, take time to ask the Father if he is at work in that moment. When the answer is “yes” be prepared to join him in his work! This is what Jesus did!

Reflection:

Today, write a short prayer to the Lord that expresses your desire to join him in his work. Feel free to use words and phrases from today’s devotion and from the words of Jesus. Put the prayer in a place that will remind you to pray regularly towards this goal.