Live Like Jesus

Growing up, my father was my hero.

It seemed like he could do anything! He completely remodeled our basement, including plumbing, electrical, installing kitchen cabinets, paneling the walls, laying carpet and flooring. He made a desk for my bedroom, stripped and refinished furniture, installed an above ground swimming pool in our yard, and was an amazing artist (he should’ve been an architect). After he finally retired, he started a hobby of creating beautiful stained glass lamps and window pieces.

He taught me that hard work pays off, that you don’t do a job half way, and that you ALWAYS take time to talk to everyone. (Yes, at restaurants, he went from table to table talking with everyone he knew, which often could be most of the restaurant.) He said that, no matter what I did for a living, whether cleaning sewers or getting a PH.D., always remember that everyone puts their pants on the same way, one leg at a time! (Dad was blue collar, a lifetime mechanic, working for his father, brother, and eventually owning his own garage.) He’d say, “Treat everyone you meet with dignity and respect!” But most importantly, ALWAYS put others ahead of yourself.

Why did my dad teach the message of service and humility? My dad was a follower of Jesus, and he may have served in some pretty unconventional ways (randomly showing up to plow snow off of “old ladies’” driveways or returning a car he’d worked on to an elderly widow and taking time to listen to her story about being in a concentration camp as a child). After spending time with dad, you always knew you were loved. Looking back, I know a lot of how He lived was because Jesus was at the center of His life.

Matthew 28:18-20 is known as the Great Commission. It says:

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

As I read through the Gospels, it’s evident that Jesus lived a life of discipleship. In everything He did, it was out of His love for His Father and His love for people. He lived life alongside average people (fishermen, priests, widows, orphans, adulterous women and tax collectors). He ate with them. He walked with them. He taught them. He led by serving, and He loved by serving. He washed feet. He fed thousands. He walked to visit and heal the sick and dead. He spent time with those no one else cared to spend time with. Jesus lived a life of humility.

Think about the night Jesus was betrayed. He taught His disciples, in a beautiful way, what it meant to be His follower. The roads were dusty in Jesus’ time and when arriving as guests for a dinner, the lowest of the servants' jobs was to wash the feet of the guests. Dusty, dirty, smelly feet. And yet, who was it that took over and served this particular evening? It was Jesus. After washing His disciples feet, He says in John 13:15: "’I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you,’" Jesus says.

Thinking back to my dad, he wasn’t perfect. He made mistakes. But I think he would say, if he were still here today, that his life mission was to reflect and teach through service to others what it meant to follow Jesus.

Dad passed away a few years ago at the age of 83. In Indiana, they still have viewings and funeral services the majority of the time. Dad’s viewing at the funeral home was scheduled from 1:00-4:00 and then 6:00-9:00. But the lines were so long that we never got a break from talking to people and the visitation went on well after 9:00 PM. People came, young and old, and told stories of how dad’s example made them better husbands, fathers, sons, employers and coworkers. His example of loving and teaching like Jesus made them better people.

My question for you is: “Who in your life has taught you by example to live like Jesus?” And “Who are you teaching by serving like Jesus?”

Pastor Pam

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