“But I tell you this: Love your enemies” ~Matthew 5:44

In the 1990’s a youth leader in Michigan began a movement which took hold and spread worldwide. Before long millions of people, young and not-so-young wore bracelets, pins, T-shirts and wrote with pens as they drank from coffee cups all bearing the initials, WWJD which is an acronym for, What Would Jesus Do? The original idea was to cause people to think of their actions throughout their days and nights, based on this slogan. Since Jesus did what His Father told Him in all circumstances, we may see WWJD as a daunting, formidable task for us mortals.

Perhaps another acronym may prove more beneficial to all followers of
Christ: WDJS which stands for: What Did Jesus Say? Rather than attempting to decide what Jesus would do, we can see what He actually said in the Bible. Memorizing the Lord’s statements should act as a key to our choices in life. If you are new to the Bible, look for a version which states it is a Red Letter Edition wherein all the words of Christ are printed in red! 

Matthew 6:14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Mark 8:34 “Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.”

John 14:6 “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

John 14:27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” 

Matthew 20:18-19 “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. 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.”

Luke 6:27-30 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back.”

Romans 12:1-2 “So then, my friends, because of God’s great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer. Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God—what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.”

Romans 14:1 “Accept other believers who are weak in the faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.”

Left to our own ideas we cannot tell if the light at the end of the tunnel is God’s provision or Satan’s imitation. However if we choose to read and re-read the Biblical accounts of Jesus’ conversations (WDJS), we will always be prepared for the challenges of life. And for those times of poor choices, we will see the forgiveness of Christ as well.