Matthew 7:12 Golden Rule
Food for Thought
An all-creatures.org Guide to Kingdom Living

By Marni Montanez

Matthew 7:12 New King James Version

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

The other day I was sitting in the drive thru of a fast food restaurant.

The line was long and the wait time was longer.  You know how it is in this microwave, entitlement society.  Things need to be done quickly and people need to move quicker; otherwise we are irritated, frustrated, angry and ugly.  As I sat there, starting to feel the beginnings of  impatience rising up it suddenly occurred to me….They are people just like me.  They are in there cooking over a hot stove, tired and probably just wanting to be home, but instead they are serving others with all the energy and enthusiasm they can muster so late in the day.  My impatience was quickly replaced by compassion and understanding.

It is horrendous how we treat each other. It seems like our society exists in an anxious state of busy-ness.  In this place of anxiety, we are perpetually overwhelmed and resort to a sink or swim mentality, in order to survive.  Then the question becomes, how can I stir up enough positive energy to be other-minded  when I am drowning in my own life?

Computers and text messaging have conditioned us to think and react quickly, replacing face to face contact which was a healthy connection with electronic gadgets that keep us distant.  Instead of a phone conversation we email our hellos and how are yous.  We have a Facebook page full of unknown faces.  We give empty promises of meeting together and the excuse most often used is “I’ve been busy”.

I’ve heard it said and I agree, that this is a throw away society where marriages and friendships, even family relationships are easily let go of in search of another shallow encounter.

We have been taught that nothing matters; even babies are invalid and unsafe in the one place where they should have been the safest;  in the mother’s womb. Over the years it has been drilled in our hearts through movies and other media that life is inconsequential; just shoot ‘em down with a one liner or quip about it.  

Morals have no importance and expecting to honor someone’s word is a foolish expectation.  We want to be treated with respect and love and yet we do not treat others that way.

It has always been Satan’s plan to destroy; this means our lives, our relationships and our values. God had a much greater design than this.

Everything He created was beautiful; even relationships.

God is trying to instruct us in this verse.  He knows how selfish and self-centered we are and that we need a heavenly reminder to treat others well.

Challenge: Ask God to help you see people with His eyes.  Ask Him to show you where you have failed in treating others the way you want to be treated and repent.

God bless

Marni

Go on to: Matthew 8:23-27 Great Calm
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The purpose of this series is to encourage people to live as loving, compassionate, and peacemaking children of God: Jesus tells us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) God tells us through Micah (6:8), "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God." And we know from Revelation 21:4 that there will be no more mourning, or crying, or pain, or death. Thus, Christian living requires us to set the standards of these conditions here on earth for our fellow human beings, and for the other animals, as a witness to the rest of the world. To do otherwise is not Christian.