Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Cor. 15:58

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Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Day 18: The Golden Rule

Matthew 7:12-- Do unto others whatever you would like them to do unto you.  This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.

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The Golden Rule
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Treat others how you want to be treated.

Reap what you sow.

However you want to state it:  It means the same thing.  If you want people to be nice to you, be nice to them.

Now--- we all know that not EVERYONE treats us well even if we are kind to them. That's life.  So does that mean we can replay them in kind?  After all, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  If someone treats you badly, shouldn't you be able to treat THEM badly???

Um----no.

Sometimes it would be nice to treat them unkindly if they have been that way to us.  But we know that it's the right thing to do.  A sinner could see how we are acting (not knowing our story/our WHY) and it would destroy our testimony. ("You're a Christian???  Foot, I act better than that?  Why would *I* want to be one of those if you are acting worse than I do?") 

Oh, as much as we don't like to admit it, people notice how we act... especially if we claim to be a Christian.  A Christian posting dirty jokes/videos on facebook is probably hurting his/her testimony.  People watch..... People are human... and people talk.  We definitely need to check ourselves.  We won't be perfect... not by a LONG shot!  But we do need to be careful what we watch, do, and say.

Kinda got off subject there a bit, but it was for an important reason that I believe God wanted us to think about.

No matter what-- we need to treat others kindly, gently, lovingly, respectfully, and calmly.  Even if they don't repay us in kind. In the end, it's OUR soul we have to focus on.  We can't control others, but we can control our own actions.

Today, think about how you'd like to be treated-- and how you treat others (even those who aren't the best to you).  Are they the same?  Are there things you'd like to change?  Are you following the Golden Rule?

God Bless You!

Kelly

5 comments:

  1. Hi Kelly. I agree with you. Its so easy to react instead of pause a moment and then respond kindly. Great reminder
    God bless
    Tracy

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  2. Yeah, but its so much nicer to not feel the guilt if we don't take the time (double negative... sorry.) I know when I say something to my husband and then I'm like, Ahhhh..., Eating crow... not fun ;) Thanks for commenting. It really means a lot that you do :)

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  3. If only we would truly live this way, treating others as we would want to be treated. I would always have a smile and kind word. The Bible tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. I need to keep working. Many blessings!

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  4. So true... the way we act towards others is our true testimony of what God has done for us and how He has transformed us. <3

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  5. True. We haven't/aren't so nice to God sometimes, but he still forgives us. We can at least try to treat others in kind.... try. We aren't going to be perfect at it. Lisa, I'm working on it too :)

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