I Love Jesus: 11-Day Devotional by Mac PowellSample

I want so desperately to live like Jesus.

What better example of a life to follow and to imitate than that of Jesus?

When I say, “live like Jesus,” we must first ask, what does that mean?

In order to understand how to do this, we need to look at what Jesus did.

During his life on earth, Jesus was committed to many things:

Jesus was committed to God and prayer, serving, and having fellowship with others. He was adamant about bringing glory to God through all of the works that he did.

In 1 John 2:6, we read that whoever says that they love Jesus must also walk in the way that he walked. This means that we must be imitators of Jesus.

Jesus showed us the ultimate example of how to live life and bring honor and glory to God.

In the lyrics to “Live Like Jesus,” I consider the character of Jesus:

Friend of sinners, rich, and poor

Knows that a soul is worth fighting for

Tender-hearted, Spirit-filled

Standing with you, when no one else will

These lyrics reflect how I long to act.

A story that inspired the lyrics to this song is the story of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet:

In Biblical times, washing someone’s feet was a sign of hospitality. Typically, the servants of the household washed a guest’s feet.

In the place where Jesus lived, many people wore sandals as shoes. It was very dusty, so people’s feet would need to be washed when they entered into a house.

When I read that Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, I am reminded of how Jesus lowered himself. He chose to serve rather than be served.

Jesus himself said in this story to do for others as he has done for us.

He didn’t just say, “serve others,” but he lived it. He didn’t just talk about it, he actually did it.

So, if we want to live like Jesus, we must serve others.

When I keep thinking about the things Jesus did, I remember how he often went out of his way to meet people where they were.

A great example of this is found in John 4 with the story of the woman at the well.

Jesus was on a journey when he had to pass through a place called Samaria.

Jesus met a Samaritan woman at a well outside of the city. It’s important to the story to know that Jews and Samaritans did not like each other. But of course, Jesus did not care about this feud. He only wanted to show grace and love to the woman.

Jesus was kind enough to reveal to the woman that he was the Messiah.

Through his patience, love, and kindness, the woman testified to others in her city and many were saved.

I believe Jesus is still doing this today!

Jesus wants to meet you right where you are today.

He wants to give you love, mercy, and grace.

If Jesus does it, I want to do it.

So, let’s honor God and others by going out of our way to testify, show love, and be kind today.

A challenge for today: go out of your way to do one random act of kindness for someone else!