The Golden Rule

Scripture

 Treat others as you want them to treat you. This is what the Law and the Prophets are all about.

~Matthew 7:12, CEV

Quote

“Oh, that everybody lived according to that rule! Then we should have no more oppression, no more slander, no more envy, no more unkindness.”

~Charles Spurgeon

My mother quoted two verses all the time: Ephesians 4:32 was one the text above was the other. We heard it two or three times a week, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Not many if any of you remember the comedian Dave Gardener who went by Bro. Dave. Yes, he preached but he was not orthodox. Bro. Dave would say, “Do unto others before they do it unto you.” The essence of the Golden Rule is to treat others the way we want to be treated. Begin with these questions: Do you want to be loved? Do you want to be respected and appreciated? Do you want others to show you compassion, kindness and understanding? If these are things you want to recieve from others then these are the things you must give.

There is also a negative side to the Golden Rule. Hillel, the Hebrew scholar and rabbi said, “What ever you hate, don’t do to your neighbor.” If you hate it when your neighbor burns toxic waste in his back yard then you should not burn toxic waste in your back yard that ajoins his back yard. If you hate to be interrupted when your in a conversation with another person then don’t interrupt others when they are in a conversation.

Martin Luther believed the Golden Rule was a part of natural law woven into the fabric of the universe. He said you do not have to be a Christian to recognize or to practice this law. Thomas Hobbs said, “All men are moved by the restless desire for power. This makes us bitter competitors, each endangering the other.” Thomas Hobbs never saw traffic and the competitive spirit comes out in traffic. When I read Hobbs quote my first thought was, “I don’t have a restless desire for power,” and then I read the part about competition and I realized, “Oh yes, I have it.”

When I leave the house I think to myself, I am going to show kindness on the highway to day. I pull up to a four way stop and I stop before the other guy. I am getting ready to wave him on but he doesn’t even acknowledge me and he never comes to a stop. He rushes right through and leaves me setting there is shock. I have to tell you folks, that doesn’t set well with me. It makes me want to chase him down and bash his back bumper a couple of times. It is hard to be kind to jerks.

Extra

PTL, making a little progress everyday. May get power to my shop building today. I’m going to get to slow down soon, I hope. Late blog. I slept late; didn’t get up to 5:00. Have a great day and thanks for reading the blog.

Extra/Extra

~Sunrise Service at New Center April 5 at 7:00 am followed by breakfast

Fish Fry April 8, 6:00 pm

Mem’s Breakfast April 11, 8:00 am

~National Day of Prayer May 7, 5:00 am-11:00 am {Grace Point has from 5:00 am to 6:00} We gather at the Associational Office on highway 31.