Matthew 7:12 – Do to others what you want them to do to you. This is the meaning of the law of Moses and the teaching of the prophets. (NCV)

When I was a kid, my friends didn't want to play what I wanted to play, so my response was often less than Christian. I'd go whining home to Mom, who dried my tears and fed me cookies or brownies, washed down with a glass of cold milk. Then, while I munched, we'd talk. Mom believed in the golden rule. She'd repeat, for umpteenth time, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." Then, she'd say, "Dear, you get what you give."

Huh? I wasn't giving anything, and I was getting hurt.

She explained herself. She said that the way that we treat others determines how we will be treated. Other people will treat us in the same way that we treat them. Then, she asked, "Have you been treating the other kids the way you want them to treat you?"

Head hanging, I'd say, "No."

Then, she'd say, "Why don't you try it?"

I'm pretty sure that this kid was too self-centered to learn this lesson right away.

Why is it that we expect others to treat us like royalty when we treat them like peons? It seems that even some world leaders haven't learned that lesson. Yet, if we would do unto others as we would have them do unto us, life would be much more pleasant. There might even be world peace!

Prayer: Father God, we confess our self-centeredness. We pray that You would wash us with Jesus' blood and enable us to treat others as He did. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Cassandra Wessel <casswessel4319@gmail.com>
Tionesta, Pennsylvania, USA
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