The Golden Rule
The America I am observing today is…
Divisive
Polarizing
Unkind
Judgmental
Fearful
All or Nothing
Because of what I am observing and experiencing, I feel
A deep longing, pulling me towards Jesus
A desire to know Jesus more
A fire in my belly to be bold and speak truth
A conviction to stand with the oppressed
A longing for what was but an understanding that it wasn’t real
I knew that 2021 was to be a year of Just Jesus. A year for me to really read and reflect on Jesus, His life, and His teachings. A year to ask myself how would Jesus speak and act. A year to quiet the other voices and make His voice louder, clearer.
I also knew that 2021 was to be a year where I would be challenged to be bold. A year to speak even if my conservative Christian friends might not understand. A year to speak even if it meant I might disrupt the peace some, shake up what people thought of me, and perhaps find myself losing “friends” on social media.
In my Just Jesus time this week, I read (and re-read) the Golden Rule.
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
“And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.””
Simple words. Simple command. And yet I see America and the American church struggling to live the Golden Rule. I see political differences, lifestyle differences, and interpretation of Scripture differences becoming the measurement by which we deem others worthy of being treated with dignity and kindness.
I think it is important to remind ourselves that what Jesus, our rabbi (teacher), taught was truth for all people. However, the commands and promises were written for those who have chosen to follow Jesus. We canNOT hold unbelievers to a standard by which they canNOT live. It is hard enough for the believer to speak and act the way Jesus instructs us, and we have the Holy Spirit to guide us. To convict us. To correct us. To provide hope to us. It is hard enough for the believer to put aside personal preferences and desires, and we know that the promises of God are for us. The way we are tearing down, mistreating, and vilifying the unbeliever because they cannot follow our moral, religious expectations is unfair and damaging to the Kingdom of God.
I strongly believe that God has called me to two things: 1) To love God and to actively know Him more. 2) To love and serve others. And I try to live out the Great Commission every single day.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”
“Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”
As I am doing life and going about being mom, wife, friend, and neighbor, I will disciple others. I will live my life in such a way that my actions demonstrate Jesus. I will place myself in proximity to those who may or may not call Jesus the Messiah. I will place myself in the proximity of those who are different than me. I will not thump them over the head with my Bible. I will not turn my nose up at them because of their dress, hair, tattoos, or political affiliation. I will be a light in the darkness, and I will be a light among the light. I will walk alongside those who do not yet know where this light comes from. I will disciple and walk alongside those who have found the light and need to commune with other light holders. Reminding myself daily that it is not my job to determine who belongs and who does not. I am simply supposed to go about doing life and discipling others. The Holy Spirit is the one who is in the business of making the disciples.
As I am living my life, I seek wisdom from God’s Word as to how I can be a vehicle for the Light. So that I can shine brightly and provide a guiding light for others. The Golden Rule, the guiding rule on how to treat others, is one of the most useful rules as to how to gain the right to be in relationship with others so that I can disciple. Because I treat someone with kindness, I earn the right to share my faith.
“Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.”
“Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get.”
“So then, in everything treat others the same way you want them to treat you, for this is [the essence of] the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets”
A few observations
The first step begins with me. I am not waiting to see how others treat me in order to determine how I am going to treat them. The “initiative” begins with me. How many times have I heard someone justify their ugliness on social media because the other side is also ugly, corrupt, or unkind? How many times have I heard “everyone is doing it, every media source, every politician, every church is doing it, saying it, and reacting to it, so why shouldn’t I?” Where are the people who are grabbing the initiative and treating others, speaking to and about others, and serving others in such away that is filled with light, truth, and hope? For those who feel they are being attacked and vilified, ask yourself - are you being treated the very way you have been treating others?
The Old Testament Law existed for a very specific purpose. The Law existed in order to provide ways to remain in a right relationship with God first and then with others. The Law was a guide for God’s people, for Israel. The Law provided structure for how humans should behave and co-exist in community with one another. The Law taught God’s people how to repent and return to God. How I treat others is one way to remain in a right relationship with God and with others. How I treat others is a reflection of my heart and my understanding of what it means to love God and to love others.
The Prophets spoke to God’s people…to Israel. The Prophets corrected God’s people, provided a way to course correct, and warned them of God’s judgment and the consequence of their sin. The Prophets shared hope of the coming Messiah. The Prophets spoke truth over and over to God’s people. The truth that they were to return to God, be faithful to God, and be obedient to God. The Prophets guided God’s people back to Him. How I treat others is one way I will be held accountable before God. In John 13:35, Jesus says that others will know that we are Christ’s disciples “if you have love and unselfish concern for one another.” When I don’t grab the initiative and treat others as God commands us to, I will experience the consequence for my disobedience. He will always point out my sin, demand my repentance, and then guide me back to a faithful, obedient relationship with Him.
In everything. “So then, in everything, treat others the same way you want them to treat you”. In everything. There are NO exceptions.
How do I want to be treated?
With respect
With kindness
With understanding
With love
With grace
With mercy
With forgiveness
How should I treat those who agree with me AND those who do not?
With respect
With kindness
With understanding
With love
With grace
With mercy
With forgiveness
I want so very much for humans to be kind to one another. For their to be justice. For people to do the right thing. What Jesus continues to teach me is that it starts with me. I should not, cannot, wait for others to act first. My desire to be treated kindly, with grace, must start with me treating others with kindness and grace. It starts with me.