So, whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. - Matthew 7:12 ESV
Jesus sums up his teaching on how to behave toward others with this Golden Rule. I want to be treated with love and compassion by others, so that’s how I’m to treat them. If I need to be corrected, I want someone to do it with kindness and truth. That’s how I’m to correct others if need be. And if I live by this principle, I will be following the second greatest command to love my neighbor as myself, which covers many of the laws given in the Old Testament (Matthew 22:35-40).
As I reflect on this command, I’m struck by the proactive nature of it. I can determine how I’m going to behave toward others before I get into a situation. I can commit to responding with kindness and love no matter what. Of course, I’ll need the Spirit’s help to do this. If I follow where He leads me, I will grow in the fruit of the Spirit, which includes love and patience and kindness and gentleness (Galatians 5:22-23), all the traits I want to show others. If I’m consistently treating others as I would like to be treated, maybe others would do the same.
Think about it. If we as Christians all behaved according to this golden rule, what a different world we would have! There would be less anger and hatefulness. We might be able to work together to find solutions rather than fight and cause divisions. We could build each other up instead of tearing each other down.
That’s pretty counter-cultural right now, especially in politics. If we live according to this command and have “golden behavior,” that’s going to make us different from the world. We’ll be calmer and more joyful. Then someone might ask us why we’re so different and we can share with them that we’re following Jesus.
Think About: How can you apply the Golden Rule today?
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