OUR DAILY BREAD : THE GOLDEN RULE

[cimi]

March 12
Wednesday


THE GOLDEN
RULE

READ:
Matthew 7:7-12
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Therefore, whatever
you want men to do
to you, do also to
them. __Matthew 7:12
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The concept of The Golden Rule__treat others as you would like to be treated__appears in many religions. So what makes Jesus' version of the saying so exceptional?

Its uniqueness lies in a single word, "therefore," that signals the generosity of our heavenly Father. Here is what Jesus said: "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them" (Matt. 7:11-12 italics added.

All of us fall short of what we know to be true: We do not love others the way God loves us. Jesus lived out that admirable ethic with perfect love by living and dying for all our sins.

We have a loving, giving Father who set aside His own self-interest to reveal the full measure of his love through His Son Jesus. God's generosity is the dynamic by which we treat others as we would like to be treated. We love and give to others because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).

Our heavenly Father asks us to live up to his commands, but He also gives us his power and love to carry it out. We need only to ask him for it. __David Roper

``````````````````````````````Heavenly Father, I know that I lack Your````````````````````````````
`````````````````````````````patience and mercy and love. Please show```````````````````````````
````````````````````````````Your perfect love through me in some small````````````````````````````
`````````````````````````````way today. In Your Son Jesus' name I pray.````````````````````````````
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We have committed The Golden Rule to memory;
now let us commit it to life. __E. Markham

*********************************Today's Bible Reading __ Matthew 7:7-12*********************************

7 Ask, and it will be given
to you; seek, and you will
find; knock, and it will be
opened to you. 8 For
everyone who asks receives,
and he who seeks finds, and
to him who knocks it will
be opened. 9 Or what man
is there amng you who, if
his son asks for bread, will
give him a stone? 10 Or if he
asks for a fish, will he give
him a Serpent? 11 If you
then, being evil, know how
to give good gifts to your
children, how much more
will your Father who is in
heaven give good things to
those who ask Him!

12 Therefore, whatever you
want men to do to you, do
also to them, for this is the
Law and the Prophets.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
In the reading today, we see how our Lord emphasized the
importance of persistence in prayer. The actual Greek grammar
might be better translated as "Seek and keep on seeking. Knock
and keep on knocking. Ask and keep on asking." Sometimes sincere
believers may believe that a sign of faith is to ask God once for a
request and never repeat it. But the teachings of the New Testament
do not support such a concept. In the parable of the judge and
the widow who repeatedly asked him to hear her case, the idea of
persistence is central (Luke 18:1-8). As is the case with Job, King
David, and other biblical characters, faith is often expressed through
repeated prayers and pleading.