Preoccupied with the Preciousness of Others
The Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," is possibly the most widely quoted wise saying in the world. Parents tell it to their children, teachers present it as the standard for classroom etiquette, businesses quote variations of it on their reader boards, and we all know that it’s good, sound advice. What we sometimes forget though is that it is far MORE than good, sound advice. When Jesus gave the Golden Rule in His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:12, He said: "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets." He didn’t say, "for this is the best way to live" or "for this will minimize the problems you’ll face." He said, "For this is the Law and the Prophets." In other words, all of those commandments and teachings from the Old Testament have the Golden Rule as both their source and their objective. How well do we do at fulfilling it? How preoccupied are we with the preciousness of others? It’s a simple rule, so simple we teach it to our pre-schoolers, but it’s a rule that stretches us to the depths of our love, character, and devotion, and it’s a rule that’s worthy of our deepest efforts to fulfill.