W.W.J.D.

How to find hope and tap into peace when the world is on fire

Jan 14, 2026

Public Theology is based on the work of Zach W. Lambert, Pastor of Restore, an inclusive church in Austin, Texas. He and his wife, Amy Lambert, contribute to and moderate this account. Zach’s first book, Better Ways to Read the Bible, is now available wherever books are sold.

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In 1989, at the Calvary Reformed Church of Holland, Michigan, a youth pastor named Janie printed 300 bracelets with a four letter abbreviation on them. These bracelets and the four letter abbreviation were supposed to remind her students of their motivation as Christians. They were a big hit with her youth group and eventually spread throughout her city, the state of Michigan, the rest of the United States, and, eventually, the world.

Today, it’s estimated that tens of millions have been sold worldwide. Do you know what that four letter abbreviation is? I bet you do.

W.W.J.D. What Would Jesus Do?

I got my first W.W.J.D. bracelet at a Vacation Bible School when I was a kid. Our Bible Study leader told us that anytime we were faced with a situation where we didn’t know what to do, we should just look down at the bracelet on our wrist and ask, “What Would Jesus Do?”

It seemed simple enough, so I popped the bracelet on and gave it a shot. But guess what? It never worked for me. One of two things always happened:

Either I didn’t know what Jesus would do, so I just did what I wanted to do
OR
I knew what Jesus would do, but I didn’t want to do it, so I just did what I wanted to do anyway

And many times after I messed up, feeling guilty or ashamed, I remember thinking, “If I just had Jesus here with me instead of this dumb bracelet, I would probably be a better Christian.”

I didn’t know then that I could just ask him to help guide me.

And I didn’t know that if I was feeling like I knew better but wanted to do things my way anyway, I could rely on the Spirit of God to prompt me toward the good thing.

We think, “If only we had Jesus himself— instead of just a bracelet or a book— we would be so much better at following him.”

But is that right?

If you believe that, you’re not alone. Jesus’ closest friends thought the same thing. On the night of the Last Supper, just hours before Jesus would be arrested, illegally tried, and then unjustly killed on the cross, he told his friends he was about to leave them.

“My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.”
John 13:33

The disciples are understandably shaken by this statement. Jesus is not only their best friend and teacher, he is God in the flesh. Consequently, the idea that he is going to leave them is terrifying. People start to ask questions and voice concerns, so Jesus reassures them:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”
John 14:1

After saying this, Jesus spends the next three chapters telling the disciples why they can have hope and peace in the midst of difficult times, teaching them how to continue his vital work of bringing the Kingdom of God to earth as it is in heaven.

Like us, the disciples thought doing the work of Jesus would be impossible without Jesus, so Jesus begins this time of teaching with a beautiful promise: the gift of the Holy Spirit.

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”
John 14:16-21

Jesus is going to leave them, but he is not going to leave them alone— he’s going to send the Holy Spirit to live not only with them, but in them. Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as “his Spirit” and says that, through this Spirit, Jesus will continue to indwell every believer.

Jesus is in us and we are in Jesus.

This is the mystery of the gospel, the good news that we are not on our own. And the most amazing part? Jesus actually says that having the Holy Spirit is better than having Jesus stick around in the flesh.

“Very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”
John 16:7

Do you realize what Jesus, God in the flesh, is saying here? He’s saying the only thing better than God with us is God within us. The only thing better than God next to us is God indwelling us.

It kind of makes W.W.J.D. seem less important, doesn’t it? The Holy Spirit living within us does so much more than help us distinguish right from wrong— it brings life where there was once death, it breaks down barriers of division, and it empowers us to pursue the Way of Jesus in every area of our lives.

You may be wondering, “How do I do this? In the deep brokenness of our world, where does the strength to pursue justice, practice generosity, and include absolutely everyone come from?” By depending on Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. Depending on Jesus, day by day and moment by moment, is the foundation upon which the entirety of the Christian life is built.

But how?
How do we depend on Jesus?
How can we be empowered by the Holy Spirit to pursue the Way of Jesus in every area of our lives?

I want to show you a beautiful metaphor that Jesus gave us for what dependence looks like. During the Last Supper meal, Jesus tells his friends that depending on him is like being a branch connected to the vine:

“Abide in me, as I abide in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in them, will bear much fruit, but apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:4-5

Jesus tells us to “abide” in him five different times in just two verses. When a word is used that many times in rapid succession, we need to pay attention to it. So what does it mean to “abide?” In The Message bible, Eugene Peterson translates “abide in me as I abide in you” like this:

“Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you.”
Jesus

Peterson uses terms like “live” and “home” because abide is a word loaded with themes of hospitality.

In the days of Jesus, when a weary traveler was passing through a city, barely able to put one foot in front of the other, a hospitable homeowner would walk out with a simple invitation: “Abide here tonight.” This phrase is literally translated, “Stay in the house.”

We see this invitation extended to Jesus in scripture by people like Mary and Martha, Zacchaeus, and Matthew. It was an invitation to rest and regain strength. It was an offer of food, water, and friendship. It was an invitation to stop trying to do everything on your own, even if just for a night, and allow someone else to meet your needs.

This is the same invitation that Jesus is extending to us, except that it’s not just for one night and it’s not only when we are struggling. Jesus invites us to abide in him every moment of every day, and he tells us what happens if we do:

“Whoever abides in me and I in them, will bear much fruit, but apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5

This is consistent with Jesus’ message throughout his life and teaching:

“You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.”
Matthew 7:16-17

What is this fruit? Thankfully we don’t have to guess or wonder; scripture tells us plainly:

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23

So how do we know if we are truly abiding in Christ?
How do we know if we are being empowered by the Holy Spirit?

The answer is simple: Are we bearing fruit?

To put it another way, when we are trying to assess if we are depending on Jesus and being led by his Spirit, we can simply ask, “Does this lead to more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in me and in the world?” If the answer is no, then it’s a good bet that the Holy Spirit is not in it.

This may sound overly simplistic, but this is a good thing. I’m not saying that depending on Jesus and being led by the Holy Spirit is easy, but I do think we often overcomplicate it.

In the same Last Supper discourse, Jesus makes his desire for his followers very clear:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34-35

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
John 15:12

“This is my command: Love each other.”
John 15:17

Jesus is clear. He says, “Abide in me through my Spirit and you will produce good fruit, the most important being love.”

I really like how Beth Moore says it:

“Love God. Love one another. Love your neighbor. Love your enemy. That about covers it. In Christ’s meticulous census, the community exempt from the love of Christians has a population of exactly zero… Love God. Love people. That’s what we’re here to do. Without love, all fruit is plastic.”

Beth Moore

I love every part of that quote, but the last line is especially good: “without love, all fruit is plastic.” If what we’re doing isn’t producing love and the other fruits of the Spirit in our lives and in our world, then Jesus is not in it.

Let’s look at some practical next steps for learning to abide in Christ and produce good fruit.

I know that most of us really want to abide in Christ, to produce good fruit, and to bring good to those around us, but we often get caught up in stuff that distracts or distresses us. There are countless things that get in the way of our efforts, but the primary obstacle I face, and I think many of you face, too, is the feeling overwhelm.

So many of us are overwhelmed by the amount of injustice in the world. We are constantly inundated with stories of pain and oppression, violence and abuse, and in the midst of our overwhelm, we often choose one of two polarizing paths:

We either completely check out and do nothing
OR
We stay completely dialed in and try to do everything

But neither of those work out very well, do they? So here’s a third option, one that I’ve seen remain sustainable and fruit-bearing. It has two parts:

First: Start your day with an abiding prayer.

Every morning when you wake up, before you look at your phone or make your coffee, pray an abiding prayer. It doesn’t need to be long or complex. I really like to pray the words of Jesus from John 15: “I know that I am the branch and you are the vine, Jesus. Help me abide in you today. Amen.”

This will set you up to abide in Christ throughout your day. You can continue praying abiding prayers, either quick or elaborate, as you move in and through the world. You have access, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to ask for everything you need. Ask him to lead you to where you should engage and where you should pull back, when you should step up and advocate and when you should rest.

This isn’t as simple as a math problem, where 2+2 always equals 4. Even when I pray these abiding prayers all day, I often still struggle to live in Christlike ways. But when I remember to pray these abiding prayers, my focus remains clear and I’m reminded of the strength available to me.

Second: End your day with an examining prayer.

At the end of each day, as you lay down to go to sleep, ask yourself this question: Did my actions today lead to more Fruit of the Spirit in me and in the world around me? And while this isn’t a magic formula, I’ve seen the words of Jesus prove to be true over and over again. When we abide in him, we produce good fruit.

It’s not easy, but it’s simple. When we depend on Jesus, we will see and experience more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In our lives and in the world around us. So let’s choose to abide, day in and day out, moment by moment.

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