The Golden Rule

~The Golden Rule~

The same mind

Christians are to be impartial and are not to have conceit or feelings of superiority toward fellow believers.

Commentary from the MacArthur study Bible, notes for Romans 12:16.

Tenderness

In view of what God has done through Jesus Christ for the believer, Paul described the behavior and attitude God expects in response.

Commentary from the MacArthur study Bible, notes for Colossians 3:12.

Selfless

“…[E]steem others better than himself” (verse 3), is the basic definition of true humility (Romans 12:10; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 5:21; 1 peter 5:5).  Christ is the ultimate example of selfless humility (Matthew 11:29; John 13:12-17).

Commentary from the MacArthur study Bible, notes for Philippians 2:3,5.

Stop Giving Up On People

Consider the command in Ephesians 4:32 to be kind to one another, tenderhearted, and forgiving.  When we carry resentment in our hearts, it’s like a little pocket of poison that pulls down our personalities and sours our spirits.  But when we’re kind and pleasant, it lightens our burdens and brightens our days-not to mention what it does for others.

God knows how we best function-He created us-and He’s an expert on the care of the soul.  Obedience not only glorifies Him, it blesses our lives.

Commentary from David Jeremiah’s Pathways Devotional, May 10.

Rescue

This is a true story.  This, again, is Muffin.  How she ended up as my pet is a story I would like to tell you.  It happened about three or four years ago.  I was taking a break from working in my yard in extremely high heat, and was sitting on my front porch which is shaded.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw something moving in the middle of the busy road I live on, a few houses down.  It was so tiny I couldn’t make out exactly what it was.  I could only see that it was in the very center of the road.  I decided to get closer if I could, at least to figure out what it was.  I walked down about two doors to look, and saw that it was a very tiny kitten.  I wasn’t even sure if it was old enough to be weaned yet.

I also noticed that this tiny creature was basically…strutting, and seemed extremely happy.  Think…the character the baby in Baby’s Day Out book.  Well, obviously, this tiny kitten was not aware that she was in the center of a busy street.  We get a lot of traffic from people using the street to cut through to get to other areas, and they usually drive fast.  I picked the kitten up and set it on the curb, and started back to my porch.  Before I got there, I turned around to check and the kitten was already back in the center of the road.  I repeated my safety technique, gave her a talking to, and headed back to my porch.  Again, she was in the center of the street within seconds.  Three times I moved her, but she really liked being in the center of the road for whatever reason.  I picked her up and brought her to my porch and we sat there, observing each other, trying to determine whether we were going to be okay or not.  I let her stay, I shared my home.

There’s more to the story-minor details like vet visits, because she was not in good condition, even though she hadn’t been around very long.  Another part of the story I skipped was her trying to make friends with a dog that was trying to make her a dinner that day in the middle of the street.  She likes dogs, a lot!  I also checked with everyone on my street, no one knew where she came from.  She is the gentlest creature I have ever been in the presence of.  She was created by God, and so she is beautiful.  She is so perfect in appearance and disposition that she is almost therapeutic to be around.  It’s not so much a cat that I’m admiring, but rather I’m in constant awe of God’s work.  What I would like to leave you with is this-share what you have, and be kind always, really, it is to your own benefit.  That day, a kitten wasn’t the only one rescued.