Daily Scripture:
Matthew 7:1 “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2 For the way you judge others is how you will be judged — the measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you. 3 Why do you see the splinter in your brother’s eye but not notice the log in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ when you have the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite! First, take the log out of your own eye; then you will see clearly, so that you can remove the splinter from your brother’s eye!
6 “Don’t give to dogs what is holy, and don’t throw your pearls to the pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, then turn and attack you.
7 “Keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who keeps asking receives; he who keeps seeking finds; and to him who keeps knocking, the door will be opened. 9 Is there anyone here who, if his son asks him for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone? 10 or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 So if you, even though you are bad, know how to give your children gifts that are good, how much more will your Father in heaven keep giving good things to those who keep asking him!
12 “Always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that sums up the teaching of the Torah and the Prophets. (Complete Jewish Bible).
Reflection Questions:
J. K. Rowling lauded imagination as “the power that enables us to empathise with humans whose experiences we have never shared.”* We need that kind of empathy to live out Jesus' “Golden Rule”: because God is generous to you, you should treat others as you would wish them to treat you. He’d also urge graduates to take responsibility for their own life, rather than spending energy judging or condemning others. And he’d urge them to “ask,” “search,” and “knock”—in other words, to pray, regularly.
Several pagan thinkers wrote “negative” forms of the Golden Rule (e.g. “Don’t do to others what you don’t want them to do to you”). But scholar William Barclay noted that Jesus brought a different emphasis: “The attitude which says, ‘I must do no harm to people’ is quite different from the attitude which says, ‘I must do my best to help people.’”** What are some practical ways you seek to treat others as you would wish them to treat you? When has someone else related to you based on the Golden Rule?
Lord Jesus, when you met anyone, your eyes were full of love, not contempt. Set me free from the addictive feeling of superiority when I find a “sin” in someone else, and fill my vision with the love and grace you extend to me. Amen.
* Quoted from text of speech at https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2008/06/text-of-j-k-rowling-speech/.
** William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of Matthew—Volume 1, Chapters 1–10 (Revised Edition). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976, p. 276.
J. K. Rowling lauded imagination as “the power that enables us to empathise with humans whose experiences we have never shared.”* We need that kind of empathy to live out Jesus' “Golden Rule”: because God is generous to you, you should treat others as you would wish them to treat you. He’d also urge graduates to take responsibility for their own life, rather than spending energy judging or condemning others. And he’d urge them to “ask,” “search,” and “knock”—in other words, to pray, regularly.
Several pagan thinkers wrote “negative” forms of the Golden Rule (e.g. “Don’t do to others what you don’t want them to do to you”). But scholar William Barclay noted that Jesus brought a different emphasis: “The attitude which says, ‘I must do no harm to people’ is quite different from the attitude which says, ‘I must do my best to help people.’”** What are some practical ways you seek to treat others as you would wish them to treat you? When has someone else related to you based on the Golden Rule?
- Taking responsibility for your own thoughts, emotions, words, and actions instead of blaming others can be difficult. Yet healthy, authentic, loving community depends on your ability to “take the log out of your eye.” What “log(s)” do you wrestle with? What issues keep you from living as Jesus taught us? How can you more fully reflect the grace God extends to you in the way you treat others?
Lord Jesus, when you met anyone, your eyes were full of love, not contempt. Set me free from the addictive feeling of superiority when I find a “sin” in someone else, and fill my vision with the love and grace you extend to me. Amen.
* Quoted from text of speech at https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2008/06/text-of-j-k-rowling-speech/.
** William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of Matthew—Volume 1, Chapters 1–10 (Revised Edition). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976, p. 276.
Read today's Insight by Ginger Rothhaas
Ginger is a graduate of Saint Paul School of Theology. She and her husband Rob have a son, a daughter, and a high energy dog. She loves writing, conversations over coffee, and teaching spiritual classes.
Each of us has a deep longing to be loved, seen, and heard.
That person sitting next to you--their deepest longings are also to be loved, seen, and heard. That stranger in the grocery line desires to be loved, seen, and heard. The homeless person on the corner longs to feel loved, seen, and heard. The person who seems to have it all fears not being loved, seen, or heard. The person who has been told they aren’t good enough wants to be loved, seen, and heard.
We all just want to matter to someone…and to God.
Jesus said, “You should treat people in the same way that you want people to treat you.” This is known to us today as the Golden Rule and is a foundational tenet of every religion.
In reading Jesus’ teachings today, I paused to think…how do I want to be treated? It seems as though Jesus is calling us to think deeper here. Let’s do this together….
Think about how you want to be treated--with respect, dignity, grace, mercy, forgiveness; listened to, welcomed, loved, understood, accepted, included, invited; add your own words into this list.
Now let’s pick one or two of these behaviors, and make it our prayer each morning. Here are some ideas to get us started:
God, help me be an instrument of ___________ and ____________ to others.
God, use me today as a messenger of ____________ to your people.
God, remind me to treat others with ____________ and __________.
God, help everyone in my presence today feel _____________.
If we do that each day, we are on the path to treating others as we want to be treated.
We all want to be loved, seen, and heard. We want our lives to matter. I think Jesus would be pleased if we make every person feel loved, seen, heard and remind them that they do indeed matter.
Like this post? Share it!
You might also like:
Ginger is a graduate of Saint Paul School of Theology. She and her husband Rob have a son, a daughter, and a high energy dog. She loves writing, conversations over coffee, and teaching spiritual classes.
Each of us has a deep longing to be loved, seen, and heard.
That person sitting next to you--their deepest longings are also to be loved, seen, and heard. That stranger in the grocery line desires to be loved, seen, and heard. The homeless person on the corner longs to feel loved, seen, and heard. The person who seems to have it all fears not being loved, seen, or heard. The person who has been told they aren’t good enough wants to be loved, seen, and heard.
We all just want to matter to someone…and to God.
Jesus said, “You should treat people in the same way that you want people to treat you.” This is known to us today as the Golden Rule and is a foundational tenet of every religion.
In reading Jesus’ teachings today, I paused to think…how do I want to be treated? It seems as though Jesus is calling us to think deeper here. Let’s do this together….
Think about how you want to be treated--with respect, dignity, grace, mercy, forgiveness; listened to, welcomed, loved, understood, accepted, included, invited; add your own words into this list.
Now let’s pick one or two of these behaviors, and make it our prayer each morning. Here are some ideas to get us started:
God, help me be an instrument of ___________ and ____________ to others.
God, use me today as a messenger of ____________ to your people.
God, remind me to treat others with ____________ and __________.
God, help everyone in my presence today feel _____________.
If we do that each day, we are on the path to treating others as we want to be treated.
We all want to be loved, seen, and heard. We want our lives to matter. I think Jesus would be pleased if we make every person feel loved, seen, heard and remind them that they do indeed matter.
Like this post? Share it!
You might also like:
- You cannot serve both God and wealth
- Seek to please God instead of trying to impress people
- True goodness is internal, not external
- True happiness: living as God’s salt and light
- Prayer Tip: What Would Jesus Say to Graduates?
- Or download this week's printable GPS.
©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
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