"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 7:12 (NIV)
So in everything...Wow! We are to treat others and do for others what we would want them to do for us in everything! Not just when we feel like it or when it is convenient but all of the time, in everything. I have heard it spoken of once or twice in the past as doing to, not not doing to. Does that make sense? We are to do to others what we would want done to us, not avoid doing what we wouldn't want done to us. This implies action not inaction. Every day all day long we are to go out of our way to do things for those around us, the others, all others, not just our family and friends. We are to treat people with dignity and honor. We are to encourage people and show preference to all others. We are to engage in simple acts of kindness all of the time! What a different world we would live in if we truly lived as we are commanded to live.
"Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'" Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV)
"But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." 1 Timothy 1:5 (NASB)
"Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." Romans 12:10 (ESV)
"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2 (NIV)
"Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other's nerves you don't snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out." 1 Thessalonians 5:14 (The Message)
"Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." 1 Peter 2:12 (NIV)
"Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other." John 13:34-35 (The Message)
"My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!" 1 John 4:11 (The Message)
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" Matthew 25:40 (NIV)
So your assignment today is to engage in an unexpected act of kindness. Leave an encouraging book on someone's porch (someone did that for me once-I never found out who left it there!), pick flowers (from your own garden!) and leave them for someone to find, give someone a special treat, take someone somewhere they would rather not go alone. There are so many ways we can show His love.
Dear Lord, Make us a people who love others and do things for others the way we would want them done for us. Help us to truly love one another and to show Your unfailing love through our actions...Use us to change the world one act of kindness at a time.
