Skip to main content

The Golden Rule

 


Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12) This command of Christ has been given the nickname, “The Golden Rule”. As Jesus stated, this command sums up how man is to interact with one another. When we are faithfully following this command, we will not inflict harm upon another because we would not want that ourselves.

Often, we look at the golden rule and stop at the refusal to inflict harm to another. However, the teaching of Christ goes beyond the refrain of harm. For example, if my neighbor’s home is broken into and his material possessions are stolen or ruined, it would be easy to think that because I was not the one who inflicted the harm, I have no role to play in my neighbor’s misfortune.

However, the absence of evil is not always good. I may not have inflicted harm upon my neighbor, but I may not have done any good either. If I am to truly treat my neighbor as I would want to be treated, then I would seek to help him recover any way possible. Therefore, following the golden rule is not just refusing to do evil, but it is also seeking out of opportunity to do good for others.

Paul made this point to the Galatians. He wrote, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10).

If we dive a little deeper into the golden rule, we will soon discover that not everyone wants to be treated in the same manner. For example, some are independent and like to perform tasks without assistance. Others, however, enjoy the help and company of others while performing various duties.

If we are to keep the golden rule as Christ commanded, we do well to place it on this level also. That is, we take the time to learn how the other person prefers to be treated. Keeping in mind, we desire the other person to learn the same information about ourselves.

The golden rule has stood the test of time. No matter the age we live in, treating others as we would desire to be treated will never go out of style. It will never be outlawed nor frowned upon. When we take the time to learn how another individual desires to be treated, we do good for them, and we never inflict harm upon them, then we will be acting in accordance with God’s will. We will be successful keepers of the golden rule.

God Bless each of you,

Eric Hicks

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Walk Worthy

  The Christian life has been compared to a variety of things. One in particular is that of a walk. A walk in the context of the Christian faith involves the way we live and conduct ourselves throughout our lives. The manor in which we live will either reflect Christ or it will reflect the ways of the world. Paul wrote, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (Ephesians 4:1). There are a multitude of ways we must walk to be pleasing unto the Lord. We will consider a few. Bearing with one another. Walking worthy before the Lord strongly involves our conduct with one another. Paul continued, “ with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2). Bearing with one another is not possible apart from a humble mindset. It is the humble mindset that keeps us from thinking too highly of ourselves. It also enables us to focus on the needs of others rather than ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Taking Time to Pray

  We have all had those busy mornings where we rush around trying to get out the door. We scrabble frantically trying to gather everything we know we are going to need for the day. We fly out the door only to remember that the cell phone is still on the dresser. If we are honest with ourselves, we know that we will turn around, go back inside to retrieve our cell phone no matter how late we may be running. While this is all well and good, the question arises, what if we run out the door and remember we had not yet prayed to our heavenly Father. What would be our response. Would we stop dead in our tracks and offer a prayer before God, or continue in moving toward our daily pursuits with the intention of praying when we have more time? Our great example of a prayer life is Christ. He too had a busy schedule to maintain. Mark records, “And He said to them, ‘Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.’ For there were many coming and going, and they did not even ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Take Careful Aim

       In the book of Proverbs, we read that where there is no vision the people perish. Vision is an absolute necessity if one is to accomplish anything worthwhile in life. Without vision, there is no goal. Without a goal, there is no purpose. Having a vision for the future is like having a target you do not intend to miss. Like a marksman taking careful aim at his target, we too must take careful aim if we are to accomplish great things for the Lord. There are various goals we should take careful aim at. One is increasing our relationships with one another. The only way this can be accomplished is through effective communication with each other. We can do this in a variety of ways including phone calls, personal visits, and through the positive side of social media. Equally, we grow in our relationship with one another through worshipping God together. The Hebrew writer stated, “…not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but ...
Post a Comment
Read more