To Live is Christ — seeing Him as my example

For the past few days I’ve been thinking about the Golden Rule in connection with the warnings about judgmental criticism. I didn’t realize this would be the next topic in my devotions. In context, this is what the New King James version from Matthew says,

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:7–12)

The word “therefore” points back to Jesus’ previous words about the generous response of God to His children. As I read this a few times, it occurs to me that God treats us the same way He wants us to treat Him. In other words, the Golden Rule of doing unto others as I would have them do unto me is first a God-thing.

These verses say that God gives me what I ask for (other passages clarify that I cannot be sinful in the asking or in what I want), helps me find what I’m seeking, and opens doors for me. This includes seeking for answers, ideas, energy, opportunities, and all sorts of things. He also knows the best things for me and is generous to provide them as I cry out my requests.

Turning that around — and this is astounding — He wants me to give Him what He asks for, returning all that I have in response to His requests. He wants me to offer the best that have and that I can do. He hopes that I will have a generous spirit along with offering myself and all my resources to Him. He wants me to treat Him the same way He treats me.

Of course this attitude of reciprocity involves others. Because Christ lives in His people, when I am treating others by this Golden Rule, in a very real sense I am giving of myself to the Lord. His people benefit and He is pleased and even glorified.

It might be a stretch to say that because all people are made in His image, any ministry to anyone else is a ministry to Christ. However, the idea of serving God includes doing things as if He were doing them, and doing things in His name for the good of all. Besides, all Christian ministry done from a pure and unselfish heart is service ‘for’ God, even if it isn’t exactly ‘to’ God.

To live is Christ means seeing God as my example of how to live out the Golden Rule. This is a new thought for me and now I need to wrap my brain around it and see what needs to be done to live it out.