Summary Of Dr. Charles M. Sheldon's In His Steps

The novel In His Steps was written by Dr. Charles M. Sheldon, who was a local pastor in Topeka, Kansas. He wrote the novel as one chapter long sermons, he would then tell a chapter each week at his church. So after Dr. Sheldon was preaching to a full crowd and later published the collections as one novel.
In His Steps is about the lives of the member of the First Church of Raymond and how they made a pledge to not do anything without asking the question “What Would Jesus Do?” first. This pledge sent a shockwave throughout the town and its people. Many characters like Reverend Henry Maxwell, Virginia Page, Edward Norman and Racheal Winslow make district change in how they act and view the world due to this pledge.
One of the characters that are affected by this pledge is Virginia

Page. Virginia is a young woman and is one of Raymond’s biggest socialites. She takes the pledge very early in the book, but she struggles to find out what means to do what would Jesus want her to do. She feels ashamed of being wealthy and looks to her friend Rachel for guidance. They decide the help the people in the slum district of Raymond known as the Rectangle. After befriend a homeless woman named Loreen, Virginia discovery that her purpose is to help the poor women in the Rectangle. That is only one case how the pledge has helped the town and its people.
Another example of how the pledge has changed the live of the people of Raymond is Edward Norman, he is the editor and sole proprietor of Raymond Daily News.

Mr. Norman also made the pledge very early in the book. One of his first obstacles is what would Jesus do what came to presenting the News. Before making the pledge, Mr. Norman never mixed his religion with his business. He decided that he would no long show news of things like prize fights or gossip. He also drops all advertisements that had to with smoking or alcohol and to stop running a Sunday edition of his newspaper. At first, many of his employees and peers disagreed and thought it was company suicide. But thanks to the support of fellow Christian and the grace of God, the News flourished.
There are many similarities between Virginia Page and Edward Norman. They both make changes for the better thanks to the pledge. They also take the pledge very seriously and consider the question very ineptly. But there is major difference between them, for example, Edward Norman knows almost instantly what Jesus wants him to do but it takes Virginia almost half the book to decided what to do. But they both have a great desire to follow

Christ.
I think that a way I can apply the lesson from my own life is to go to God before making a big decision. I sometimes have the habit of making a decision before even think about whether it pleases God or not. I that is the greatest lesson I can learn from this book.
In His Steps is a novel that teaches us the importance of including God in all things. Many times we just make decisions based on whether or not it benefits us, but this novel shows to slow down and think what would Jesus have us do. This is a lesson that resonates with every Christian and shows us how a little bit of faith and trust can go a long way with God.