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Twenty-one is a reading plan we created with the hope that it will help you connect with God and prepare your heart for Easter. We’re glad you’ve opted to join us on this journey and look forward to celebrating Easter with you!
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Day 13
You know the golden rule, don’t you?
“Do unto others what they deserve because of the way they acted the other day.”
Is that right?
Or is it, “Do unto others what they did to me?”
No, that’s not it, but that does sound familiar . . . or feel familiar.
I wonder what rule that is?
Is that the platinum rule? Or the silver rule? Or the angry red rule?
It must be some kind of rule, because as a rule, it’s how we respond much of the time.
I know the golden rule. You know it. You didn’t have trouble completing the statement, “Do unto others ‘what you would have them do to you.’”
It’s a simple ethic. It makes sense because we all know how we would like to be treated. When we mess up, we want patience and forgiveness. When we make a wrong turn, we want people to understand that we’re only human. When we say the wrong thing or lose our cool, we hope people will recognize that everybody has a bad moment once in a while. And since we know how WE want to be treated, it makes sense that if we just applied that to OTHERS, we would treat one another appropriately.
Jesus actually spoke about this following his teaching on prayer. He said that if a child asked a parent for bread, the parent wouldn’t give him a stone. And if the child asked for a fish, his dad wouldn’t give him a snake.
His point was that if parents know what their children need and would easily provide it, it follows that God knows and can provide even more. God knows what we need and he will do it. And if he acts that way, then we can follow his lead.
Whatever we know other people need, we can provide. In fact, it’s what the whole law that God had given was about. Just treat people the way you want to be treated and you will be following everything he asks. This is the whole verse found in Matthew:
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. ”
— MATTHEW 7:12
The golden rule is just a summary of everything God wants and what he wants is written on our hearts.
We want to be loved. So love.
We want to be forgiven. So forgive.
We want to be heard. So listen.
We want to be encouraged. So encourage.
It’s all right there on our hearts, in our minds.
If we just do to others what we want done to us, we will be doing ALL that God intends and we’ll be acting like God himself.
You can change the world. And it’s simple. It’s just not easy.
Go golden-rule your world today!