To walk like Jesus, to live as a follower of Christ, has way more to do with what we actually do than with what we don't do. We're looking at specific examples of that this week.

Today: Real Christians hope! That means we keep expecting God to come through, we expect to be with Him in eternity forever. And it matters enough to us to make us joyful.

Real Christians hurt. Okay, everyone hurts. But Jesus-followers imitate Him by being patient when they hurt, not surprised, not feeling betrayed, not angry -- patient as we wait for God to help.

Real Christians pray. And then pray again tomorrow.

Following Jesus is harder -- and way better -- than just not having sex or not getting drunk.

Think: Which are you most consistent at -- being joyful in hope, patient in affliction, or faithful in prayer? What can you do this week to do more of that?

Pray: Ask God to help you to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.

Do: Keep an eye on the Christians in your life. Look for example of joyfulness in hope, patience in affliction, and faithfulness in prayer.

I know long-time Christians sometimes get cynical about churches and the state of Christianity and how other people are living for Jesus. I don't think the Bible teaches that we should never get honestly discouraged or be afraid to ask hard questions about human motives, but walking like Jesus doesn't leave room for indulging in cynicism about the path we're on.

Cynicism sometimes leads to funny jokes, but it also kills joy. It makes us feel smart for protecting ourselves from dashed hopes, but it also keeps us from hoping without reservation in the power of God in us to do His work in His time -- for Jesus.

God is asking us to walk with intentional enthusiasm, to stay emotionally invested in living for Jesus, to find an authentic excitement about serving God today.

Think: Do you think it's right for God to tell us what to feel while serving Him? Do you think it's right for a coach to expect an athlete to be "up" for a game, to have the intensity needed to play his or her best? Are those similar ideas?

Pray: Ask God to help you to never be lacking in zeal, but to keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

Do: Make a quick list of three of the most genuinely enthusiastic and motivated Christians you know.

To live as Jesus does, to live as a true Christian, means to say, "I'm going to give up the right to set the pace for my own life." It means being willing to slow down or speed up to meet the needs of brothers and sisters from different mothers but the same Father.

It's hard to do.

To get specific, this family devotion means more than just being willing to show up when there's trouble. It means being willing to treat other believers like they outrank me, like we're not separates or equals. It's means I'm willing to talk about what they want to talk about, to listen to their music, to go to their restaurant, to wait, to adjust, to help, to defer, to die.

If we all do it, it's beautiful. It's the point of church. If I'm the only one doing it, it's beautiful. It's the path of Jesus.

Think: How did Jesus honor others above Himself? How do you?

Pray: Ask God to help you to be devoted to other Christians in brotherly love and to honor them above yourself.

Do: Write a quick list of three Christians who really seem to honor you above themselves.

Romans 12 is here to clue us in this week.

1) Don't fake-love anyone. Don't act nice or be extra polite and call that love. Jesus-walkers love like Jesus did. He wasn't always nice, but He came to serve, give, die. (See 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 for a full definition.)

2) Hate evil. We're not talking about super-villains with maniacal laughs. Evil includes everything that is against God. This isn't about people; it's about sin. Jesus-walkers learn to hate sin instead of loving it, including their own.

3) Bear hug what is good. Don't let it go. Good is anything that is from God or for God or in service of God. Jesus-walkers don't just shake hands with good; they embrace it.

Think: Why is it so hard to hate our sin? What helps us to hate it better? What good in your life could you be holding on to more tightly?

Pray: Ask God to help you to love sincerely, to hate what is evil, and to cling to what is good.

Do: Even if you've read it a million times before, give 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 a slow, thoughtful once-over.

Guess what? That never happens. Human babies who can walk always do eventually. If they don't, they're not healthy. Something is wrong that needs fixing.

But I know some Christians who think it's perfectly normal not to walk in the way of Jesus. They seem to think you can be a healthy Christian without ever moving your spiritual legs, without ever getting up and following after Jesus. Guess what? Healthy Christians always walk -- unless there's something seriously wrong. (We might fall down a lot, but that's because we're walking in the first place.)

We're going to talk for the next week or two about what we should expect to see our spiritual legs doing as we grow up in Christ. Where should these wobbly new legs be taking us? What should be different about us than if we were not Christians, at all? Come back tomorrow.

Think: What does the idea of walking as Jesus did mean to you? Do you expect to see yourself walking more and more like Him as you grow as a Christian?

Pray: Ask God to help you to understand what it means to walk as Jesus did -- and then ask Him to help you to continue to do that.

Do: If want to read ahead, check out Romans 12:9-21 to see what kind of hiking we'll be talking about for the next two weeks.