Wednesday, January 8, 2014

The Golden Rule: Jesus was speaking to our hearts and not to the one to the right and left of us




The above illustration, points out a very honest depictionIt shows the perspective of two peoples. Many times our perspectives can be misconstrued when we do not allow ourselves to be educated. Upon being educated, we will gain the right perspective and only then, can we truly experience growth and prosperity. 



Beloved, I confess to you, that I too, have many times looked at others with the wrong perspective, and came to my own conclusion without learning and knowing the facts. How wrong I am in those times, and I appeal to God’s grace and mercy to forgive me, and restore me to a proper perspective; a right perspective, in order to grow and experience the prosperity my soul longs for—a people being reconciled to God by experiencing His wonderful love that is only known in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Amen. With that being said, I now invite you, into my HEART...


Jesus spoke wisdom when He said, “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.” 
(Luke 6:31 NLT)


In reflection, I’m reminded of this: Many times we are told that the above statement of truth is in our actions to one another, yet our speech to each other is neglected. Know, ‘do to others as you would like them to do to you,’ is also revealed in the manner that we speak to each other. One area of our lives, where this gets neglected most is in marriage. Why? When we see someone day in and day out, we tend to grow familiar with them and taking them for granted steadily slips in. However, the Golden Rule, is never more necessary, then with those we do life with on a daily basis because it will show the heart of Jesus’ words to us, your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.

As I have come to know it, and as I have heard it, so shall you, “As human beings flawed and susceptible to sin, we cannot look inwardly unless we have received that which is Eternal.” Human beings do not possess a perpetual reservoir of love, grace, mercy, compassion and patience, however, in Jesus Christ, we can tap into the perpetual reservoir that He is (John 7:37-39) and always draw away what we are desperately in need of in order to DO TO OTHERS AS WE WOULD LIKE THEM TO DO TO US. Therefore, just as it’s seen in action, let it be heard in speech as well, that “we would speak to others as we would like them to speak to us.”


In reading on the words of Jesus in Luke 6, it’s quite apparent that He was speaking not to the other person (as is the custom with human beings to point the finger in blame and say yup! They don’t do that, or yup! They do that), but rather, He was speaking directly into every human being concerning their own motives and intentions; the character of their heart. 


Jesus was also directing His message to the treatment of those who are considered strangers to us (Luke 6:32-34), and those who are unable to pay us back (Luke 6:34), and those who mistreat us and hate us and curse us (Luke 6:27-28). However, in the words I was inspired to write, mainly directed to marriage, all that Jesus spoke to His audience was always relational—having to do with human-to-human interaction and most of all, God-to-human interaction. 


I make a concession as to how all of us ought to live: Everyone should first look at themselves under the microscope to see where they stand on how they speak and treat others, especially in a marriage. Dont be the one whether you are the wife or the husband, say to your spouse or of your spouse, theyre the ones that need to read this and put it into practice.” Jesus never intended this sort of behavior and rivalry. He spoke directly to it, in that He called us all to analyze our position first and see the sin at work in us that causes us to lash out at others. I include His words below, that we will all carry it among ourselves, like a string tied around our fingers...something we will feel, know that it is there and we cannot forget about it like a daily reminder. And know, what I am inspired to write always comes through great humility, as I too, must have already placed into practice that which I am preaching.


Matthew 7:3-5
The Voice Translation
(emphasis added by me in red)

[Insightful Introduction]: So when someone is tempted to criticize his neighbor because her house isn’t clean enough, she seems ill-tempered, or she is a bit flighty—he should remember those same standards and judgments will come back to him. No one should criticize his neighbor for being short-tempered one morning, when he is snippish and snappish and waspish all the time.

[Jesus Speaking]: Why is it that you see the dust in your brother’s or sister’s (neighbor, spouse, friend, manager, boss, teacher, grocery store clerk, police officer, bank teller, etc...) eye, but you can’t see what is in your own eye? Don’t ignore the wooden plank (large obstacle; stumbling block; robber of Gods blessings) in your eye, while you criticize the speck (greatly smaller in God’s view compared to your blatant attack on their character when your character needs much work) of sawdust in your brother’s eyelashes. That type of criticism and judgment is a sham! Remove the plank from your own eye, and then perhaps you will be able to see clearly how to help your brother flush out his sawdust. 


Many times in marriage and I speak from experience and to my great shame, marriage becomes no longer two being one, but two separate individuals that are more stranger than one you would pass by on a busy street. This is great sadness but Jesus Christ is the hope of glory, and let this be glory people, that we will once again do and say to others as we would like them to say to us—it’s all relational, however, the focus is not on the other individual and what they will do in return. The focus in on the character of your own heart and how you will treat them. Something to think about. How I pray, our endless reservoir in which we look to tap into, is not of our own but of Jesus. Amen. As always...YOU ARE LOVED.

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