[Notice: Pause alert – see details in the footnotes.]

~

What does it mean to be the hands and feet of Jesus?

When I ask that question, what first comes to mind? Do you think about praying, feeding the poor, going to church, or loving your neighbour? Those are all good things. 

But I recently came across a statement by Trevin Wax. It reminded me that we need to broaden our understanding. He said: “When we say we want to be the hands and feet of Jesus, we must remember what happened to the hands and feet of Jesus.”*

Yes, Jesus’ hands fed the crowd, and his feet walked on water, but they were also driven through with nails. Some people loved him, but other people hated him. 

This is a reminder that following Jesus isn’t just about nice things, but tough things. There will be times when you will need to be a leader when you’d rather just hide. There will be times when you will need to speak out about an issue which will make you very unpopular with the crowd. There will be times when you will need to stand firm when it’s troubling to do so.

Trusting Jesus includes following him not only to where you want to go, but to where you don’t.

In John 16:33 Jesus said: “In the world you will have tribulation.” That’s a promise. If you sincerely follow Jesus, you will have plenty of good things—but you won’t only have good things; there will be trouble too. Fortunately, Jesus’ statement doesn’t end there. He continues: “But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Let’s be the hands and feet of Jesus—not just when it’s sunny, but when there is a storm. 

The road to glory passes through many valleys. That’s okay. Because we are the hands and feet of Christ—and our Leader has overcome the world.

---

Notes:

–Pause alert: Please note that after today, The Up Daily Devotional is going on pause for March Break. It returns on Monday, March 23, 2026.
-*Posted on X by @MattSmethurst on March 5, 2026.
-Bible quotes are from the ESV.