Title

The Golden Rule Is a Command

Scripture
And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
(Luke 6:31)
Devotional
May I paraphrase this command with a reciprocal view? “How you are to others, they will be to you.” However, this comes with a condition; it must be genuine and based on real love. In other words, it has to be without motive. Whenever we are genuinely kind and giving to others, others will in turn be kind and giving to you. It is the law of sowing and reaping. If what you sow is real, what you reap will likewise be real. If what you sow is based on a selfish motive, you will reap the same. This golden rule is much broader and much higher than the world can understand. This cannot honestly be done without Christ as the base and power of it. Read this verse in its context, and you will find the weightiness of it. This is not a warm and fuzzy feel-good-about-yourself command. It is the law of God.
Thought For The Night
“To me, it's more important to be loved than to love. When I have not had the experience of being loved by God, just as I am and not as I should be, then loving others becomes a duty, a responsibility, a chore. But if I let myself be loved as I am, with the love of God poured into my heart by the Holy Spirit, then I can reach out to others in a more effortless way.” Author Brennan Manning, Christianity Today
Evening Text
Luke 6:31: “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”
Looking for Answers
Evening Study Guide
Defining:  “Golden Rule”: A term which has come to mean a principle or precept that should always be followed.
 
Referencing: “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,” 1 Timothy 1:5.
 
Applying: Consider others, as you would have them consider you by being: patient, generous, encouraging, helpful, and polite.