What Would Jesus Do dominated wristbands in the 90s (but it’s hard to give much credit to 90s trends when dressing like the Fresh Prince was cool and wearing backwards pants was totally acceptable).

In reality, the WWJD bands caused people to pause and ponder what Jesus would do in their shoes. It’s a great question for analyzing situations and (hopefully) making good decisions based on how we think the Messiah would respond.

But being like Jesus isn’t just doing what he would do. It’s about thinking how he would think too.

As I think about stewarding my time, resources, and abilities, I’m beginning to ask myself, “How would Jesus do this?”

How would Jesus share the gospel with his family?
How would he make disciples in the 21st century?
How would Jesus spend his time?
How would Christ compel others to live for God if he was giving a lecture today?
How would he respond to an atheist?

As I ask myself, “How would Jesus do this,” and read about his life in the Bible, I’m convinced that he wouldn’t just slop together work or participate half-heartedly in conversations.

He was a student of his disciples and the people he talked with. He did an incredible job of asking heart-level questions that cleared away the clutter, distractions and barriers in conversations. Jesus took his time when others thought he should hurry along (in the case of his friend Lazarus), and he withdrew when others thought he should stick around (like when they tried to make him a politician).

You don’t have an infinite source of divine knowledge like Jesus, and you probably don’t know any lepers to heal, even if you were able. But Christians certainly have the ability to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, turn to God’s Word for direction, and trust the promise of Jesus that we’d do greater works than he did.

All we have to do is seek God’s wisdom as we ask, “How would Jesus do this?”