Do unto others

The Word encourages us to do unto others as you would have done unto you.  In today’s society, this would be the same as saying: treat others the way you want to be treated.  As Christians, I believe we can refer to the life of Jesus as a guide on how we’re to treat others.

When Jesus began His ministry on earth, He didn’t come saying, “I am God, serve me and do as I say.”  When Christ came, one of the many things He showed His disciples (including you and I) was how we’re to treat others.  He forgave sins and past mistakes, showed mercy and grace to those who didn’t deserve it, prayed for and served others, helped the poor, healed the sick, reached out to sinners and so much more.

The New Testament reveals to us through the life of Jesus Christ how we’re to treat others.   As a result, we know Jesus wants us to forgive the mistakes of others because He said unless you forgive others He will not forgive you; we know that Christ wants us to have mercy and grace toward those who may not deserve it; to pray for and serve others, to help the poor, to share the gospel with sinners and etc.

Matthew 5:16 tells us to “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”   If you’re treating people with the love of God, people will not only see your good deeds, but they will also see Christ through you and begin praising Him because of the love of God they’ve experienced through youOn the opposite side of the spectrum, if you’re treating people anything less than with the love of God, people will begin to see your evil deeds.  Because Christians are representatives of Christ here on earth, those witnessing and experiencing your evil deeds may begin to have negative thoughts about God.  This is why as Christians, it’s important to examine how we treat people.

How  you treat others is a reflection of your relationship with God.  You cannot have a growing relationship with Christ and continue to treat people everything else but with the love of God. The more you read the word of God and the closer you are to Him, the more compassion, love and respect you should have toward others.

I challenge you today to treat others how you want to be treated and to do it with the love of God.  Just as Christ is compassionate and loving towards you, just as Christ is mercifully and graceful towards you, I encourage you to be the same toward others. As a result, people should see Christ in you and begin reciprocating the same compassion, love and respect you’ve shown them.