Living by the Golden Rule
You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. Matthew 7:9-12
Our text was taken from the Sermon on the Mount delivered by our Lord Jesus Christ. In this section of the Sermon, He provided a profound teaching on how Christ’s followers should treat others. Most people struggle on how to be more loving. But how do we obey His teachings in this matter when we do not feel doing it? People who have experienced abuse growing up will have difficulty trusting and relating to others. The tendency is to be transient in relationships or to isolate from others. The Lord Jesus Christ pointed out that even the most evil parents would provide for the necessities for their children, how much more we can trust our heavenly Father who knew no sin. He provided us an example on how to relate to others in love. Not only He showed how but He also provides the grace that we need so we could obey Him. We are familiar with the Golden Rule and the text provides followers of Christ the reason why they would do “good” to others. Jesus’ commands His followers to do as much good for others as they want others to do for them in the same circumstance. All God wants from us is to let the love we experience from Him be manifested on how we relate to others. God looks after the welfare of His children. Our act of loving others is a response to God’s goodness to us. So even if our acts of kindness to others are not reciprocated, God sees what we have done and He is the one that will respond in return. When you are obeying Him caring for the needs of others, it does not mean that you are ignoring your own personal needs. It simply means that you are trusting God with your needs. “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). When you know that you can trust God with your own needs, your experience of peace will grow as well as your joy serving Him by loving others. If you keep serving, He keeps on filling you up so you will continue to overflow with His love.
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com