Posts Tagged ‘golden rule’
“A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” Proverbs 11: 25Proverbs 11: 25
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25 The liberal soul shall be made fat.
He who waters shall be watered also himself.
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When I think about it, Lord, it seems that this is one of the few laws of life that is almost universally accepted. It seems that every society on earth has some form of it: the Golden Rule, karma, what-goes-round-comes-round. No matter what it’s called, the principle is the same: what you sow is what you will reap. Almost everyone accepts that.
So why is it, Lord, that just as it is almost universally accepted, it is also almost universally ignored? I mean, if everyone who says they believe this principle acted like they believe it, it would be almost heaven on earth. Everyone would be nice to other people, expecting others to be nice back to them. No-one would harm anyone else, recognizing that to do so would be to invite harm back on themselves. Everyone would be helpful, courteous, respectful, kind, efficient and generous, believing that others would then display the same virtues toward them.
But it’s not like that, Lord. People don’t act like they believe the principle of sowing and reaping. They act as if they can sow whatever they please, and still reap a harvest of sweet smelling roses. Instead of people “doing to others as they would have others do to them” we have people “doing others before the others have a chance to do them.” Most of the time, even when someone tries to sow kindness and helpfulness, those on the receiving end get suspicious and accuse them of only acting out of selfish motives.
Yet this law really is unbreakable. When you do something nice for someone – particularly if they weren’t expecting it – you don’t even have to wait for something nice to come back to you. Just the smile on their face is a reward, and even if they are grouchy and ungracious, there is a sort of internal self-hug that comes when you know you have done right.
Lord, help me to always be someone who encourages, builds up and helps others. Help me to be someone who doesn’t just say I believe the principle of sowing and reaping, but who lives accordingly.
This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.
There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,
WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name;
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
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