“In everything, therefore, treat others the same way you desire them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
In all things, as you desire others to do to you, so also you do to them. This fulfills and broadens the Old Covenant Law of “love your neighbor as yourself.” Here it is extending to everyone. Not just fellow countrymen but everyone. A higher standard under grace of giving grace as you have received grace from Me. Forgiving as you have been forgiven by Me. And here it is sowing and reaping in your relationships with people. As you give, so shall you receive and more besides. And it is from Me you are receiving though I give it to you from others.
“Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” Luke 6:38. Notice the pouring is coming back to you from others. And it may not even be the people you gave to. Joseph treated his brothers generously and with kindness, but they did not pour riches back to him. I did, through Pharoah and the people of Egypt. As you sow, I will see to it that you reap. Even if the person you treat as you would be treated does not return in kind, even if they respond in a wicked and ungrateful manner, I will be sure you get it from another source who will hear Me.
Nothing you do for Me is wasted. My prophet Isaiah, though he was speaking My Words to the people at My direction seemed to be gaining no success to turn them from their ways, but he never grew angry at them or gave up. And he said, “I have labored in vain, I have uselessly spent My strength; yet My vindication is with the LORD, and My reward is with My God.” Isaiah 49:4. And I assured him that I formed him from the womb to be My prophet, to gather Israel back to Me, and that he was honored in My sight and I was his strength. Isaiah 49:5.
And his faithful sowing of My Word reaped a harvest of souls through the ages for I made what he wrote a light for the nations so that My salvation (Yeshuah) would be known to the ends of the earth. Isaiah 49:6. And to this day, the prophecies I gave to Isaiah about Jesus from the virgin birth to the child born to you and Son given you, to the crucifixion and beyond are being read by believers everywhere and also converting Jews and gentiles to believe in Jesus, knowing that Jesus was prophesied exactly as would happen hundreds of years before He came in the flesh. It was from the great Isaiah scroll that Jesus read to begin His mission in the synagogue at Nazareth, saying that on that day that Scripture passage was fulfilled in Him.
There is a reason the Isaiah scroll was the largest and most complete scroll found intact when the scrolls were found in the caves near the Dead Sea. I honor those who honor Me. Never think what you do for Me in keeping with My Word is ever done with no reward. I reward those who seek Me. In keeping My Word there is great reward. And it does not stop with your generation. I blessed Abraham and blessed him to be a blessing to every family on earth. And that continues even now because of his obedient faith, I made his descendants the line to which Jesus would born according to the flesh. Mary was a descendant of Abraham of the line of Judah and then David.
Do to others as you would have them do to you matches up with My Son’s teachings on prayer when He tells you that when you stand praying to Me you must forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, bitter roots in your soul must be pulled out to receive My blessings freely. But this teaching takes you up a notch higher. You are not only to forgive but to give the blessings you would want others to give you so you also must give to others.
In My Son’s teaching I am showing you again how you treat others determines how I can treat you. It can limit or enlarge what I can do for you. If you truly understood that the way you treat others is really coming back on you, this is a spiritual law that cannot be broken, you will start considering more carefully what you think about, say about, and do to other people no matter what they are doing to you. If they are being abusive to you it will come back on them. But never respond by abuse if you do not want others to do that to you.
People find this teaching difficult and consequently are not serious about applying it in their daily lives. They get offended, retaliate, fight, quarrel, dishonor one another, gossip, judge, return evil for evil, and somehow think they are justified in doing this though they would not desire to be treated that way.
Now, think about how you would like to be treated by others. I know because I made you. You are made in My image and likeness. I am love, I give love. I am light, I give light. I look for hearts towards Me. I know those who love Me. Those who love are born of Me. I am pleased by faith in My love and goodness, by those who trust in Me. I look for faith. I am pleased when you speak the truth in love and when you do not deceive or harm others. I am blessed when you bless Me. It gives Me joy when you have joy in what have made and what I give you. I open My arms wide to you and stretch out My hands to you and I run to meet and embrace you the minute your heart turns to Me. I look for those who will fellowship with Me. I call it the best part. I am blessed when you learn from Me and are willing and obey. And like you, it is not good for Me to be alone. I created you to have a family that is with Me always. None of you will ever cease to exist now that I have made you. All are alive for Me, all are always with Me.
Do you love for people to forgive you and treat you as if you had never offended them when you do wrong? That receive you back with total love? Do you love it when people tell you the truth and have your best interests at heart and are not trying to take what is yours or slander you? Do you love it when people are willing to let things go rather than sue you in court? Do you love it when people respect and honor you? When they are friendly and kind to you? When they are generous with you and help you when you need encouragement or help with your material things? Do you love it when people are grateful for you and to you? Do you love it when people are loyal and faithful to you? Are you grateful if you are going the wrong way that someone as the love and courage to let you know so that you do not lose territory by sinning? Do you love it when people who have more expertise in an area see you struggling with it come to help you with doing the task and even take it from you and complete it for you?
If you desire other people to do these things for you, then do them for others and watch Me return it back to you.
Be like Me, imitate Me as My dear children and walk in love. Love never harms another. Never let the actions of another pull you out of love with Me.
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:3-11
All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for I resist the proud, but give grace to the humble. 1 Peter 5:5. “And be subject to one another in the reverence to Christ. Ephesians 5:21. Be concerned about others’ welfare. For most seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:21.
So clear out bitter roots, give up unforgiveness and speak the truth in love. Always be ready to go the extra mile as you would want others to do for you. And do not find fault and complain about each other, for you do not like it when that is done about you. Cast all you care on Me and walk on in love. Vengeance and vindication is Mine. I will take care of you who are My own.
And this is entering through the narrow gate. Which is My Son’s next teaching in this sermon, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14.
And we will talk more about that in our next Life Lesson.
I love you. Do to others what you would have them do to you. Be creative.