As we end this series on “LIVING”, I’m going to make this last message “GOLDEN!”

 

Maybe you thought that the “GOLDEN RULE” was something your mother made up to get you to act appropriately. Or maybe you thought it was something your mother’s mother said to her, and so it eventually became a way of living. Neither is true!

The “Golden Rule,” is more than a kind gesture toward another, or an appropriate action or display of behavior. It’s actually a way of living that was modeled for us and taught to us by Jesus Himself.

After calling His disciples to follow Him, Jesus spent time teaching them how to live.

He taught them how to be salt and light. He taught them about the law. He taught them about anger. He taught them about adultery. He taught them about divorce, vows, and revenge. He taught them about the importance of loving their enemies. He taught them about giving to the needy. He taught them about the important practice of prayer and fasting. He taught them about money and possessions, and how not to judge one another. And He took all this teaching, with all of its details and particulars, and summed it up with the GOLDEN RULE…

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.” Matthew 7:12

That the New Living Translation. I also like it in the Message…

“Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them.” Matthew 7:12

But my very favorite translation of this Golden Rule is in the New American Standard Version…

“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you!” Matthew 7:12

If you and I are followers of Jesus today, then we are His ‘modern day disciples.’ Do you think He wants us to live any differently then His first disciples? The answer is NO!  We are to imitate Christ so that others are attracted to Him by the way we live!

Jesus’ words here aren’t hard to understand, but boy are they challenging to live out each day!

Truth Bomb

When we treat others the way Jesus treats us our relationships are golden.

Someone at church this past week challenged us to look at this ‘Golden Rule Verse’ through the eyes of Jesus.

Instead of saying, “Do onto others as you would have others do unto you.” Say, “Treat other people the way Jesus treats you.”
Now friends, that’s raising the bar quite high! But can you even begin to imagine how our lives would look if we stopped grumbling and complaining about every little thing someone did or didn’t do to us, and started treating them like Jesus would treat them regardless of how they were treating us?

I think it would be GOLDEN!

I think we may develop a piece of heaven on earth if we were to live our lives by this very GOLDEN RULE!

Speak Truth Love