Most of us have learned this rule from a very young age, do to others the what you would have them do to you. But today I want you to see the current context of this teaching of Jesus.
7. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
8. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
10. Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake
11. If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
12. So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
(Matthew 7: 7-12)
This statement, also known as the golden rule of conduct, is an affirmation that Jesus made in relation to the satisfaction of our needs and the attainment of what God wants us to be and do. He was challenging the people to ask the Lord for His blessings and ask Him sincerely: What is your will for my life? What do you want me to do? What have you planned for my success? What will make me a winner in your eyes?
The Lord taught the people to persist in the persecution of blessings and divine success until they obtained it. If you live a good relationship with others and treat others as yourself, you will be blessed by the Lord. In the Gospel of Luke we find a teaching of being merciful, not to judge, not to condemn, to forgive. The Lord gives us direct proportion of the way we think and act, knowing that a large percentage of our thoughts and opinions are directly related to what others say and do. I want to leave you with two verses that talk about how the Lord responds based on our behavior with others.
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
(Matthew 6:14)
For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
(Matthew 7: 2)
God bless you,
Walter Bustamante, (Men’s Ministry Leader 2016-2017)