Week 9, Day 5

Today’s Reading Section: “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

Comments:
Finally today we land on the Golden Rule. You may very well have learned it when you were a child and had no idea that it was in the Bible, never mind that Jesus Himself spoke it. It’s so remedial to living the Christian life, but is often the last rule we think of when making a decision be it well thought out, or snap.

A great man and friend summed it up this way; “The golden rule isn’t just not doing things to others you wouldn’t want them to do to you, but is proactively doing what you know is right. It’s the difference between just obeying traffic laws and not breaking the speed limit, and stopping to help a driver in need. It isn’t only behaving, but thinking of ways to bless those around us. The difference is in the letter of the law and the spirit of it. It is the law of the Spirit of life.” (Will McFarlane)

It is indeed following Jesus’ example and laying our lives down, so that others don’t have to. The entire law, which is enormous and glorious, exists and all the prophets before Jesus lived to move us to simply put others first by treating them the way we wish to be treated.

Songs and poems have been written, books have been penned, and thousands, perhaps millions of sermons have been prepared and given to try to get Matthew 7:12 into our collective psyche and behavior. With today’s devotional I would like to add to that deluge of encouragement and ask you to put yourself second today and proactively make up your mind to do someone else some good. Ask for the opportunity to show kindness to someone (the opportunity is coming even if you don’t ask) and then follow through.

It could be random, or well planned out. Just go for it today. You’ll love it and might even become addicted to it. Then before you know it you won’t be able to stop yourself.
Amen.

Questions for Reflection:
· Do I live out this Golden Rule daily?

· What is holding me back if I don’t?

· To whom have I not shown kindness simply because I haven’t been paying attention?

· Am I really ready to do this?

· Whose getting it first?!

Prayer Points for Today:
· Selflessness, Opportunities to be Extroverted, Compassion.

Matt Brozowski