Matthew 7:12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

This verse from Matthew is commonly referred to as “the Golden Rule.” Like so many things, Jesus takes a common idea and turns it on its head by pointing out the higher calling we have been given. We usually think of this concept in the negative, “don’t do anything to others that you wouldn’t want them to do to you.” However, Jesus calls us to take it one step further. It is not enough to just be passively kind; we should be actively seeking out ways to serve and love those around us.

As Christians we love the idea of the Golden Rule. Living it out becomes a different animal. We always want other people to treat us with kindness and respect. When we have a need, we expect someone to be there and to be available to help us. The problem arises when we realize that it’s a lot easier to receive those things than it is to give those things.

Living by the Golden Rule requires us to recognize our own selfishness and push it to the side. Think of life as trying to merge on to a busy highway. We all want to see someone slow slightly to let us in. When they do, we give them a courtesy wave, and when they don’t, we have no shortage of names or gestures to express our frustrations. Now reverse the roles, how easy is it for you to slow down and let someone in? It’s easy to get selfish, we all have places to be, and letting in the wrong person could slow us down. So, what do you do?

Sadly, this isn’t an easy switch to turn on in our brains. Other places in the Bible it says, “don’t murder.” It’s probably one of the easier commands; I’ve made it my whole life and never committed murder. The real challenge comes in passages like the one we are looking at today. We are given a call, a task, a responsibility to live out every day: to treat others the way we would like to be treated.

You know how you want other people to treat you. Now how can you do that for someone else?