Owe no man any thing, but to love one another

Mat 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.


Whatsoever you want others to do to you…do to them.


We hear this all the time don’t we? The saying- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It's a good saying, it's a very good saying and a good creed to live by, isn't it? You wouldn't hurt someone - mentally, emotionally, or physically if you knew you would be hurt that way in return, would you? So many people do hurt others and not just in tiny ways, but in huge ways. No matter that hurt it's senseless pain. Sure there might be those out there that believe in hurting those who hurt you. There might be those who believe in doling out pain to punish someone. There are even those who like to live by the old- hurt them before they hurt me, regardless of whether or not they were ever going to hurt you at all. Some will go so far as to say that some people hurt others because it's the only way they can show they love them. I just have to shake my head at that, I really do.


If ALL people treated others as they want to be treated what sort of world would we be living in?


Strangely enough just recently I've been catching myself (by the grace of God of course) feeling anger at other drivers around me. It's nothing new of course but lately what is new is the thought that comes immediately after I catch myself- 'what if that was me'.


What if it were me there slowing down looking for something?
What if it were me there needing to back out suddenly?
What if it were me there waiting for the light to change and confused over who is going to go first?


I have done all those things and yes, I could console myself by saying 'well the people around me had a right to be mad at me', but that's a cop out, right?


Do we have a right to that road rage, or if not rage, road ire? Anyone would have it, right? It's instinctive, reflexive, it's normal, it's … wrong. Yes, it may be all those things but it doesn't make it right. Our flesh nature is instinctive towards anger, towards evil and it's the flesh nature we have to deny, that we have to surrender to our Savior so that the spiritual nature in us can dominate.


Lashing out at someone has become reflex for so many. They get irritated and this they believe gives them the right to act on that irritation and lash out. We are going to be irritated. Too many believe that they are not right in their relationship with our Savior when they even get irritated. Too many wish to believe they can transcend all the irritation, all the angst of life and this would prove they are truly Christ's. All that proves is they've succeeded in fooling themselves that they are a *GOOD* person. We can't concern ourselves with *being good to be God's*. Yes, we must shun all evil, we must live in Christ with Him as our example, but we have to let our righteousness be Christ's righteousness. He has to live in us and His righteousness must come through, nothing that we can call OUR righteousness, OUR goodness. We have to accept that we are being tried in fire, we are being refined constantly and that refining is never easy. We need to ALWAYS do unto others as we WANT them to do to us, whether that is excuse our mistakes as we're driving, or forgive our forgetfulness, or be understanding as we fumble with our notes, have patience towards us when we mess up our pin number at the atm and hold up the line, even be forgiving when we have to take a cellphone call and our hushed conversation is bothering you. It doesn't matter what it is WE need to treat others as WE want to be treated when we are in their shoes. When we anger them we want them to be understanding. When they anger us we NEED to be understanding. When they slap us we need to realize that we didn't like being slapped and we shouldn't slap back. When they revile us it's hurtful and if we revile them back we are giving hurt back, we are giving something WE wouldn't want to have- if we had the choice. It's not easy, no one said it was.


Mat 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.


We should do what we want done to us. We have to put ourselves in the shoes of others at all times not just when it's convenient for us to do so.


Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.


Thou shalt LOVE they neighbor as thyself.
This is one of the COMMANDMENTS!
A COMMAND for us to follow, not for us to ignore, not for us to sometimes follow, not for us to disregard as we do sooooooooooo often! We do it all the time! We've STOPPED loving our neighbor. We've stopped and we've done so for many, many reasons and not all of those reasons are horrific to us. We stop because we are scared for our safety. We stop because we just live in our own little safe sphere of influence and to step outside it makes us feel vulnerable in many ways.
Next time you step outside of your house and spy a stranger- ask yourself if you love them. Seriously, ask yourself if you love them. Love isn't that sentimental business we call it, love is caring above and beyond yourself for another, undeservedly. We don't wait for the strangers to become our friends then become our close friends until we decide we love them. We must love our neighbors, we must love all those around us as our God would love them and does love them.



Rom 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.


Gal 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
Gal 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.


By the grace of God my we learn this, may this become part of our lives through our Savior. Help us God to love as you would have us love, as You love.


By Your LOVE, Your mercy and grace, Your righteousness now and forever!


Amen.