Author: mary

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you,” as Matthew 7:12 says. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. The world was founded on the golden rule. It has been the standard by which we live and the measure for the Christian. However, the golden rule is not as important in society today as it used to be. We tend to govern ourselves and live by our own standards now. This world would be an easier place to live in if everyone lived by the golden rule. You will find peace and great reward when you strive to live your life following the example of Jesus. Seems so simple, right? Treat others the way you want to be treated. Yet, it is so difficult to live by. We tend to forget how we want to be treated when we treat others with disrespect. We think that we deserve their respect, but they don’t deserve ours. We live by the thought that if someone wrongs us, we should wrong them back. Revenge is something we see played out in movies and TV shows, so it can be difficult to treat others with respect when the world is preaching a different message.

Do you find it tricky to treat others the way you want to be treated? Spend some time in prayer today with the Lord, asking him to help you with the way you treat others. If you need to, you can even make a list of how you want to be treated, and then pray that God would help you treat others in that same way.

In Matthew 7:7-8, Jesus tells his followers, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” I love these verses! He says to keep on asking! Keep on seeking! Keep on knocking! The beautiful thing about the Christian life is that you never stop growing. You will always discover more and more about him when you continually seek him.

In these verses, his commands are for you to seek the eternal by always persevering. He longs for his followers to remain in communication with him by continuing to ask for what they need. He knows what you need, but he wants you to ask. His second command is to seek. He wants us to spend time with him, learning all you can about him, and seeking to find out who he is. Jeremiah 29:13 says that you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart. The last command is to knock. If you knock he will open the door. Do you see the commonality between these three commands? All three of them start with us. We must act on our part, and then he will be faithful on his part. He is a loving king who does not demand from his people. He wants his people to choose him.

As Christians, it is important that we treat others with grace and mercy and make sure we do not judge them. God is the great judge. He is the only one with the authority to judge because he is righteous. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:1-2, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.” It is not possible for us to judge because our standards are based on our own righteousness and definition of right and wrong.

God, in all of his righteousness, sent his son Jesus Christ to Earth to become the sacrifice for our sins. In his mercy, he rescued us. Who are we to judge anyone when we do not have that kind of authority? Each person has been given the grace of God. When we are tempted to judge others, we have to remember that they were created in the image of God and if he is able to give them grace, we can too! We should not point out their sin when we have our own struggles.

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be,” Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:19-21. Treasure means something different to different people. For some, it means something to be discovered, like a reward. For others it means expensive things to attain. For the Christian, the reward or treasure is heaven and Jesus himself.

It can be difficult to focus on the Lord instead of the material things that pass away. 1 John 2:17 says, “And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” Everything in this world is temporary and will pass away. That is why we should not focus on the things of this world. Sure, it is okay to have things, but if they take your time and energy away from the Lord, then you are storing your treasure here on Earth. However, God and spiritual things will not pass away. He is the ultimate reward. Heaven is a bonus, but the real reward is spending eternity with him. Cling to the spiritual and store your treasures there.

Prayer is simply communication with God. Many people shy away from praying for fear of knowing what to say. Jesus describes prayer in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6. He starts by instructing his followers to pray without babbling (“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” Matthew 6:7-8).

Prayer is a topic that can be a misconception for some. They think that you have to know what to say or how to say it. Some even think that only certain people can pray, like the leadership of the church. However, without prayer, a Christian cannot maintain connection with Jesus. In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus shows us how to pray through the Lord’s Prayer. It begins with the praise of God’s name and acknowledgement of his authority (“Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven,” Matthew 6:9-10). It then presents requests in verses 11-14: “Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” This is how you stay connected to God the Father: praise him and then ask him for what you need.