In our society people talk all the time about living by the rules of life. I’ve often wondered what are the rules and who makes them, but I believe Jesus gives something simple yet profound which should characterize our daily life. We call it the golden rule because is brings richness (not financial, but fullness) into the hearts of those who practice it. Jesus demands that His followers do to others what they want done to them; furthermore, He says that this rule defines the Law and the Prophets. Doing to others what we desire them to do to us sums up the entire Old Testament. When you examine just the ten commandments, you’ll find many of them have to do with human relationships. Honor your father and mother (Exodus 20:12) – treat your parents the way you want to be treated when you are a parent. Don’t kill (Exodus 20:13) – have respect for the life of others as you would want others to have respect for you. Don’t commit adultery (Exodus 20:14) – be faithful to your wife as you would want her to be faithful to you. Don’t steal (Exodus 20:15) – value the possessions of others as you would want them to value your things. Don’t lie (Exodus 20:16) – tell the truth to others as you would want others to be honest with you. What if all of us spent our life practicing the golden rule? We wouldn’t gossip about others because we don’t want to be talked about. We would not be bitter against someone else because we don’t want them to be angry with us. We would share with others who have needs because when we are in need we want others to do the same for us. How about this…someone shared the Gospel with you, so why not pass it on to someone else? Someone is praying for you by name, so why not pray for someone else? People have spent time investing in your life, so why not give your time to others? Humanly speaking, we don’t practice the golden rule. We will never be able to do it on our own. In fact, Isaiah 64:6 reveals that even our best efforts to do good are like filthy rags. So what needs to happen. Romans 4:5 concludes that works do not bring righteousness, but faith in the One (Jesus Christ) who forgave all of our sin through His death and resurrection. Romans 6:18 says that when we have been set free from sin, we become slaves to righteousness. Even then, it’s still not about us, it’s it about what God can do through us. Commit today to treating others the way you would like others to be treated.
Dear God, enable me to treat others with respect and value knowing that the way I treat others will affect the way they treat me. I need Your help.
