2215 Doing Jesus Things

We are united as girls who dare to believe Jesus when he said, “Anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done.” Maybe we don’t understand why us or how us, but this is the part where we believe what we cannot see and we cannot understand. We believe in Jesus, so we believe we are called and empowered to do the same works Jesus did.

So, this is our devotional series on ‘The Miracles of Jesus’ – What exactly DID Jesus do? But we’re coming at this with an availability and a predetermined decision to dare to go out there and do the same things we read about Jesus doing.

Somebody say it with me – I HAVE DECIDED.

I have decided to take Jesus at his word. If he says that somehow ordinary people like me and you will walk in his power, shine his light, share his love and do the same works he did, then we have decided to show up for it and go.

Here we are, Lord. Send your girls out! So, okay, now what do we do?

I get all fired up about doing Kingdom work, but deep down I still question – I question if I’m qualified – I question if it will be awkward – I question if it will work – I question if I even have a clue what I’m doing. Anyone else?

So, last night just as I was going to bed with all these questions, the Holy Spirit dropped something unmistakable on me. This is a game of Follow the Leader.

Do you remember playing follow the leader as a kid? Whatever the leader does, you do. If the leader walks fast, you walk fast. If the leader jumps, you jump. If the leader stops, you stop.

We all know the game. So that makes it very simple because guess what Jesus says – he says, “Follow me.”

To each of his disciples, he simply said, “Follow me.” He didn’t tell them where they were going or how they were getting there, just that they would be following him. He’s the leader – DO WHAT HE DOES.

And guess what, girls, the invitation and the directive is still the same. Follow the leader.

Being a Christian is a label that can sometimes get a little used, a little watered down, a little tainted. What we really are is we are CHRIST FOLLOWERS. We follow our leader and seek to do the exact same things he does.

A leader leads – that’s not you – that’s Jesus.

A follower follows – that’s you. You follow Jesus.

We are not just fans of Jesus. Not admirers. We don’t just learn about Jesus, know about Jesus or just agree about Jesus. WE FOLLOW JESUS. This following requires movement. If God says in 2 Chronicles 16:9 that his eyes “roam the earth” looking for hearts turned to him so he can strengthen them with his power – THEN WE WILL ROAM TOO.

Where he goes, we go. Where he looks, we look. Where he stops, we stop. Where he loves, we love. Where he sends his power, we boldly carry that power.

Jesus didn’t say, “Believe in me and just stay where you are.” He didn’t say, “Believe in me and continue on with doing life your own way.” He didn’t say, “Believe in me and hope everyone else does too.” No, he said, “BELIEVE IN ME, FOLLOW ME, DO WHAT I DO!”

Jesus noticed overlooked people. Jesus touched the untouchable. He ate with people the religious folks avoided. He forgave. He served. He stopped for interruptions. He spoke truth. He showed compassion. He prayed. He performed miracles. He went precisely where the Father sent him.

And if that’s what our leader did, then that’s what we will do too. Jesus said in John 13:15, “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done …” So, let’s get to doing.

Girls, LET’S GO DO SOME JESUS-THINGS.

How exactly do we do Jesus-things? We remember we have Jesus-power. God never expects us to do Jesus-things without Jesus-power. This is precisely why we are filled with God’s very presence. His Spirit dwells within us, empowering us to follow Jesus and do what he did.

Miracles. Yes.

Healings. Yes.

Restoring the broken. Yes.

Feeding people. Yes.

Casting out demons. Yes.

LOVING PEOPLE. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just follow the leader, he will show us how.

I currently live on the coast in Southern California. Most every morning I put in a few miles running and walking through the harbor while the sun comes up. The harbor is filled with sea lions barking, beautiful boats, and plenty of broken, hurting souls who sleep near the docks. I’ve always loved the boats. I’ve always loved the sea lions. But recently God’s been teaching me how to love the homeless.

My new best friend is Cindy. Cindy is 66 years old. She pushes a buggy filled with her treasures and sits all day, every day, leaned up against a trash can in the harbor. In the beginning, I would just shout out a friendly ‘good morning’ as I passed by. She wouldn’t even look up. Old me would have said, ‘Well, I tried” and kept running. But this version of me that is following the leader to do Jesus-things can’t just walk on by like I used to.

The leader slowed down. I will slow down.
The leader stopped. I will stop.
The leader cared. I will care.
The leader loved. I will love.

So, I’ve been loving Cindy. It’s the highlight of my day. I’m so excited to get to her designated trash can in the harbor and stop for a morning chat. We talk about cross-word puzzles. We talk about beef jerky. We talk about the weather. We talk about how someone stole her teeth and life got a little harder without teeth. We just talk.

This past Monday as I sat out on my walk to find Cindy, I was formulating all types of conversation starters in my head. Ways I could take the conversation deeper. What could I say that would really impact her. How could I talk about important things without making it awkward. And the Holy Spirit interrupted me and said, “Pamela, stop trying to think of what you’re going to say – Just follow me. Open your mouth, and I will give you the words.”

Oh that’s just so uncomfortable, isn’t it – Opening your mouth and not knowing what will come out. But did you know we actually have a promise from God on this? Psalm 81:10, The Lord says, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.” What if this could be more than just receiving good food from God, but about receiving good WORDS from God to speak?!! Good conversations to share.

When you don’t know what to say, open your mouth wide and let God fill it with good things!

So, on Monday, I approached Cindy with nothing to say, but an open mouth trusting God to fill it with good things. I could not have orchestrated the conversation that followed! It was so natural, so unforced, just flowing.

In the conversation I told her how I didn’t grow up knowing God and my first prayer was at 15 when I asked God to please bring a new boy to my school – AND HE DID. So I knew God was real, and I knew God heard me, because the new boy moved to school that year and I married him! 32 years later, I’m still married to the new boy.

Cindy’s eyes filled with tears. She told me that as a little girl she went to church and a man stood on the stage yelling that everyone was going to hell. He pointed fingers. He spit. He scared her. She said she decided she never wanted to go again.

I shared with her that I understood and I’ve been church hurt in the past as well. Sometimes we get it really wrong when what we’re supposed to be doing is loving people. I said, “Cindy, I want you to know that God loves you.”

She said – “Pamela, you know my name. Think about it. SIN-DEE. That’s who I am. I’m just SIN-Dee. Cindy with an S. I’m just filled with sin. That’s all I’ve ever been. There’s so many rules and laws, and I just break them all. I can’t be good enough.”

She even told me that sometimes she signs her name with an S.

Okay, so follow the leader. What did Jesus do in this situation? When he encountered a woman whose entire identity was the sin she lived in, what did Jesus do?

That’s the story of the Woman at the Well. A woman who wasn’t welcome to go to the well to draw water when all the other women of the village went. She was the outcast. She was unwelcome. So, she went to the well alone, in the heat of the day.

And one day, by divine alignment, Jesus was there at the well. In their encounter, Jesus reveals he knows everything about her. He knows her sin. He knows her shame. He knows her brokenness. He knows that she’s been married 5 times and the man she lives with now is not her husband. AND NONE OF THAT MATTERS.

Jesus isn’t looking at her for her sin. He’s not dismissing her because of her past. He’s not judging her. He sees her for who she really is – a woman who needed the living water only he could offer.

Jesus shows us how to see people beyond their sin. He shows us how to see people and think about how much God actually loves them. He shows us how to see people exactly where they are and know God wants to heal them. He wants to heal their entire lives.

This woman at the well is who he chose to reveal himself to as the Messiah. This woman, living in shame, an outcast to society, a sinful woman with a hard past, SHE IS THE ONE JESUS CHOOSES. And this woman is so moved by the way he saw her, the way he knew her, the way he accepted her – that she returned to her village and told everyone she knew about this Jesus that she had met.

Jesus pursues our hearts. He knows our hurts, and that’s where he chooses to love us first. Right there in our shame, in our struggle, at our absolute worst – he loves us. And if that’s what Jesus does, then we do it to. The leader loves them in their hurt – so we will love them in their hurt.

My friend in the harbor gets to encounter Jesus because I CARRY HIM IN ME! Nothing more and nothing less. It has nothing to do with me, other than I’m willing to be a carrier of the presence of God. If I will open my mouth for the Lord, he will fill it with good things. I will love her in her hurt. I will show her love that knows her real name, her true identity, her value and worth.

My sister, will you dare to believe that YOU are a carrier of the presence of Jesus? That you don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t have to know exactly what to say. You don’t have to feel qualified. You don’t have to understand how God could possibly use you.

You just have to FOLLOW THE LEADER. Love them in their hurt. Start there.

Jesus is still looking for people who will slow down when he slows down. Stop when he stops. Love when he loves. Speak when he speaks. Go where he sends. See people the way he sees them.

Maybe your Jesus-thing today is to be part of a miracle. You have the power of God inside of you and if he says today is the day for a wildly awesome, undeniable miracle that radically changes some lives, then get in there and be part of that by being available as his vessel!!!!

But maybe your Jesus-thing today is simply stopping for the person everyone else walks past. Maybe it’s buying or serving someone a meal. Maybe it’s praying for someone who is hurting. Maybe it’s forgiving someone. Maybe it’s opening your mouth and trusting God to fill it with good things. Maybe it’s seeing a life that is full of sin and not calling them by their sin, but loving them because Jesus does.

Maybe your miracle is simply letting someone encounter Jesus through YOU. Because that’s what following Jesus looks like. We don’t have to manufacture miracles. We don’t have to make something happen. We FOLLOW.

And when we follow the Leader, he leads us right into the places where his love, his power, his compassion and his presence are needed.

So, girls, let’s stop asking, “Am I qualified?”

Let’s stop asking, “What if this is awkward?”

Let’s stop asking, “What if it doesn’t work?”

Let’s stop asking, “What am I supposed to say?”

Let’s ask one simple question: “Jesus, where are YOU going?” And then let’s FOLLOW.

Because we have decided.

We have decided to take Jesus at his word.

We have decided to follow the Leader.

We have decided to believe that the same Jesus who changed lives 2,000 years ago still changes lives today.

And maybe—just maybe—the next person who encounters Jesus will encounter him through you.

So open your mouth.

Open your hands.

Open your eyes.

Open your heart.

And follow the Leader.

Let’s go do some Jesus-things.

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