Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.    Matthew 7:12 NKJV
And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.     Luke 6:31 NKJV

These two verses are what we typically call the Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Jesus said this while He was telling us to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile.

While Jesus certainly tells us to treat others as we would like for them to treat us, He also tells us to do things the way He does them for us. In Matthew 6:14 Jesus tells us if we want God the Father to forgive us our sins, we must forgive those who have sinned against us.

In Philippians 2:3-4, Paul said, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for that of others.” When Jesus died on that cross and rose from the dead, He did that for you and for me. There was no selfishness in that. Philippians 2:5-8 goes on to tell us to make our own attitude that of Christ Jesus. Jesus was fully God and fully man. He emptied Himself and became a servant, taking on man’s likeness. He humbled Himself by being obedient even to death on the cross. Jesus put our needs above His own. Are you willing to put Him first in your life?

When Jesus was asked which was the most important commandment, He summed up all of the Ten Commandments by saying that we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our might and He said the second one is like it. We are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39).

Our flesh tells us to treat others as they have treated us, but this isn’t what God wants. He wants us to show family affection to one another with brotherly love and outdo one another in showing honor according to Romans 12:10.

Maybe our Golden Rule should be do unto others as we would have Christ do unto us. If we want Christ to forgive us, we know we must forgive. He loves us unconditionally. Are we willing to do that for others?

2 Corinthians 1:4 tells us He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. If you want to be comforted, be a comfort to others who are suffering. I often tell people who are hurting to help others. You’d be amazed at how it helps to get your mind off of all your trouble.

What does do unto others mean for you? Does it mean to get even? Does it mean to show love even to those who are not so lovable? Or, does it fall somewhere in between?

My friend, we need to love like Jesus loves us. That’s a tall order, but if we are going to be Christ followers, we need to imitate Him. We need to learn to be humble and obedient. I have to admit, I’m not always so good at this.

I ask you to join me in trying to do a better of job of doing unto others as I want Jesus to do unto me.

Have a great day!