Day 32 Golden Rule

Day 32

Golden Rule

“Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

(Matthew 7:12)

Golden Rule is the 24^th pillar

The Golden Rule is the 24^th pillar that holds the temple of Truth!

My dear beloved, the Golden Rule is the only law that can bring sanity and stability into the world. It is when men, for even a minute, stop seeking their own good and just for a second, consider the well-being of others.  I tell you the truth, there is no reason, for example, for people to go hungry in the world!

As you are reading this, perhaps you are full, you have eaten, and maybe you have even thrown some food away.  Yet there are many who have not eaten for days. You live in a house, yet some make heaven their roof, and in winter there are countless people living on the streets.  All because of men’s selfish hearts!  We all desire and seek our own good, and we fail to consider the welfare of others.  Each man for himself, says the world.  But what does the Word of God say?

My dear beloved, the Scriptures are the inspired Word of God. The quest for finding the will of God is ever in our hearts.  From the Jews to the Christians, and all those who believe in God,  are ever in a restless quest to please God; to find out what is the will of God is for our lives.  And in doing so, we often overlook the simplicity of the Word of God:  from Genesis to Revelation, God is teaching us two primary things, and if we get them, it will be well with our souls.  Those who were privileged to be alive at the time when God visited the earth in a human form had the privilege to ask Him, what does God expects from us?  What is it that God wants us to do?

“’Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’”   Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.’”  (Matthew 22:36-40)

My dear beloved, this is it.  It cannot get simpler than this!  Two things God requires from us. If we divide the Bible into two parts, we may safely say that the first thing God teaches us is to love Him.  The second thing He teaches us is to love others as ourselves:

The 1^st part teaches us to love the LORD our God with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our minds and with all our strength.

The 2^nd part teaches us to love others as we love ourselves.

And in this is the whole Bible--forget about prophecy, visions, revelation, knowledge, wisdom, intelligence, principles and the like.  If we fail to obey these two commandments, we can forget about the rest.  God is love, and where there is no love, God is not there. Everything you do, if it is not motivated by love, I tell you the truth, you are doing it all by yourself.  God is not there.  He cannot work through a selfish heart to accomplish His good pleasures.  This is what this 40 days’ journey is all about, that at the feet of the Lord Jesus, the Greatest teacher ever, we may learn the perfect will of God for our lives.  And then we must do it, that we may be effective servants, fulfilling our ministries according to the will of God. To make it simple, God gave Moses two tablets: one to govern our relationships with God, the other one to govern our relationships with each other.  The latter is what the Golden Rule is all about.  The six commandments that God wrote with His finger to govern our relationships with each other are summarized into this:

“And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”

(Luke 6:31)

And out of the six commandments God gave us for governing our relationships with each other, one is something we must do while five are things we must not do.

This is the golden rule:

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with promise:  ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.’”  (Ephesians 6:1-3)

 “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘You shall not covet,’ and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”   (Romans 13:8-10)

And why has God given us the Golden Rule?

“Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith.”  (1 Timothy 1:5)

So that there may be equality:

“But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack—that there may be equality.”  (2  Corinthians 8:14)

And that we strengthen each other, considering our own weaknesses:

“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.  Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”   (Galatians 6:1-2)

And what is the law of Christ?

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”   (John 14:15)

“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)

“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well.”   (James 2:8)

My dear beloved, this is the will of God for our lives: that the same way we want to be treated, even so we must do to others:

                                                                                                                             

·        If you want to be loved, love others.

·        If you want to be joyous, be the joy of others.

·        If you want to have peace, pursue peace with others.

·        If you want others to be extremely patient with you, be extremely patient with others.

·        If you want others to be kind to you, be kind to others.

·        If you want others to be good to you, be good to others.

·        If you want others to be faithful to you, be faithful to others.

·        If you want others to be gentle toward you, be gentle toward others.

·        If you want other to exercise self-control toward you, exercise self-control toward others.

My dear beloved, this is the will of God for our lives, and if we fulfill the Golden Rule, God will be well pleased with us:

“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”  (John 15:10)

My own definition of love is: “The ability to put others before ourselves.”

Finally my dear beloved, though we live in a world that promotes self-love rather than loving others as ourselves, it must not be so with us, for the very seal of authentication of our discipleship to Christ is described as love for one another:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”  (John 13: 34-35)

“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”  (John 15:8)

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; Love does not parade itself,

 is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part.  But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.  And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”   (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you.   Amen!

Meditation:  Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them!

Prayer points:  LORD, please create in me a new heart and a steadfast spirit.  Please fill my heart with Your love, and please teach me to love others as myself.  I pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen!

Commitment:  I commit myself from today onward, that in everything I do, I will consider the well-being of others first, and learn to put others before myself.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen!