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It seems everywhere you look somebody's wearing one of those WWJD bracelets. And the message is a good one. There's nothing wrong with asking ourselves: What would Jesus do? After all, Christians are challenged to follow Christ's example, and to "imitate" God in the way we live our lives (Ephesians 5:1-2). Even so, how do we take the message beyond a bracelet and past a fad? How do we make the WWJD message real in the way we talk and act?
To help answer that question, several Christian artists tell some of their personal stories in a book called the WWJD Interactive Devotional, compiled by Dana Key (Zondervan). Here are four of those stories.

A few weeks ago, I went with four of my friends to the Smoky Mountains to do some rock climbing. We came to this little town just outside of Knoxville, Tennessee. I wanted to pull over and get something to drink and I saw a little country store ahead.

I walked in and there were three guys sitting there giving me looks I have never seen before. The older of the three said, "You don't belong around here—boy."

At first I thought, Is he talking to me? Then I realized he was. I couldn't believe my ears when he said, "Stick around here after dark and we'll hang you." I was thinking, Man, we're sending rockets to Mars and there are still people living in this kind of blind racial ignorance. It was as if I'd been beamed back to the '50s. Suddenly I was experiencing hatred, the kind of bigotry I'd only read about or seen on TV. I'll never forget how I felt in that little country store. For just a split second, I felt less than human. I felt alone.

No, I didn't lose it. I knew Jesus wouldn't have lashed out. And I knew God wanted me to keep my anger under control. So I calmly explained to that man that racism is a thing of America's past. I even surprised myself at the restraint I showed.

Last night I got a little uptight and I kind of lost it for a moment. I was talking to my wife, Mary Beth, from my hotel room, and I heard this knock on the door. It was the road manager telling me to hurry up and get on the bus. I shouldn't have let it get to me, but I guess I was just frustrated by being constantly on someone else's schedule. I hung up the phone, threw my stuff on the bus, and slammed the door to the bus's lounge area. As hard as I could.

I felt bad. Sure, I could have justified my little tantrum. I was away from my family. I was physically worn out. Pitching a little fit once in a while is a very natural way to let off steam. But that's just the point. While it was a very easy and natural thing for me to do, there is no justification for it in God's sight. God expects much more of me than that.

I remember hearing my pastor preach on the verse where Paul tells the Corinthians to quit acting like "mere men" (1 Corinthians 3:3). His point was that their behavior might be typical, but it's not the way believers should act. I mean, we have God's Word and his Spirit. We've been made new creations and we're part of the body of Christ. We're told that "his divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3). I'm no longer a natural man, I'm supernatural, and God expects me to live life according to the new nature he's given me.

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