Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,

do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Matthew 7:12

 

       I once heard that every major religion has some form of the Golden Rule as this verse is commonly called. That makes perfect sense because, according to Jesus, this is a summary of all that was taught in the law and by the prophets. To boil all the law and prophets down to one statement astounds me. Surely it can’t be that simple: treat others the way you want to be treated. 

    It’s simple if you know how you want to be treated. Most of us do. But I think we miss the mark when it comes to all things. We walk through life taking so much for granted and accepting behavior that used to be considered rude. I also believe some of our behavior is on auto pilot and it too is not up to God’s standards.

     We have to strive for this goal: to have all our behavior wrapped with a golden bow.  We couldn’t know all the laws and teachings of the prophets so for Jesus to summarize it for us helps us be who He wants us to be. What He’s really saying is: don’t get all tangled up in the confusion of the law, just ask yourself, Would I want to be treated this way? 

      So how should we live? We should walk in kindness, talk using words that uplift, and as we run the race set before us, help our fellow runners along the way. We should be purposeful in our Christian walk seeking always to draw others to Him.

        It’s like the old campfire song. The world should know we are Christians by our love.