Just Live the Golden Rule, or Not

A television talk-show guest was asked to share his thirty-second advice with the audience. “Live the Golden Rule” he said. Then he added (to fill up his thirty seconds), “If everyone just lived the Golden Rule, it’d be a better world.” No doubt. But my question is, can “everyone” live the Golden Rule? For those who don’t remember, the Golden Rule comes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, “whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them” (Matthew 7:12). It also has some background in Obadiah 1:15, “As you have done, it shall be done to you.” Whether the words come from the prophet’s preaching on the judgment to come or from the Messiah’s standard of discipleship, they are given to believers. Is it then possible for a non-believer to live the Golden Rule of believers? How can one treat others right if they themselves are not right? How can one who does not accept the grace-treatment of our God, treat others with grace? Some Mondays my Memo is a nice, warm, fuzzy thought designed to jump-start your week. Today, it is something to think about, reflect on, and digest for a while. And while you’re at it, what would you share if you had thirty seconds with an audience?

Pray with me this week for the following global concerns:
• Pray for Patricia as she heads back to Cameroon the month to continue her Bible translation ministry.
• Praise God that the East Asian worker for whom we have prayed in recent days is now conscious and breathing on his own; however, he is still very weak. Continue to pray for him and his wife.
• Praise God that the Novosibirsk (Russia) Bible Church was planning on about 40 people coming to their ESL Camp, but three times that many showed up.
• Pray for the Bannert family as they prepare for a possible return to Serbia after spending several months in the Houston area dealing with some health issues.
• Praise God for eleven people who were baptized on Sunday June 12th at Macau Baptist Church. Pray for those who minister in Macau.