If you were asked for one rule that succinctly captures the way by which we should live, work, and play, what would you say?

Before I give you some possible answers, let me first explain why I am lumping living, working, and playing into the same question.

What if we had one set of standards for our relationships with family, friends, co-workers, customers, fellow church members, and teammates?  Wouldn’t that be the simplest, easiest way for us to live?  Yes!  Isn’t that approach a LOT easier than having to maintain different standards of conduct for interacting with each of these groups of people?  Absolutely!

If we have a common set of standards for living in all of these relationships, then we can be our real self at all times, and avoid having to pretend to be somebody we are not in certain settings or situations (which is a recipe for frequent failure).

Now, back to my original question.  If you were asked for one rule that succinctly captures the way by which we should live, work, and play, what would you say?

I can think of two biblical principles that answer that question:

1) You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  (Matthew 22:39 ESV)

There is a lot packed into this short statement.  First of all, you are putting others (the people around you – “your neighbors”) on an equal level as yourself.  Secondly, it presumes that you love yourself.  That might sound egotistical at first.  But it is referring to a healthy self-image, and to the built-in instinct to take care of our basic needs.  So, this simple statement could be restated in this way:  Respect and take care of those around you, to the same level that you respect and care for yourself.

2) Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. (Luke 6:31 NASB)

This is often referred to as the Golden Rule.  Why is it called “the Golden Rule?”  Because the word “golden” is a metaphor for something of supreme value – like gold, which is the most precious metal.  This rule, therefore, is seen as a simple and clear statement of God’s highest standard of moral and ethical conduct.

Note that Jesus is not saying to avoid treating others poorly, which is the focus of Eastern religions.  Instead, Jesus is stating that we should look for ways to proactively treat others well.  In fact, other passages in the Bible shed even more insight into the depth of how we should be proactive in living out this rule.  Consider these other verses:

"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? "If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?  (Matthew 5:43-47 NASB)

In this passage, Jesus is challenging His followers to be different from non-believers.  How are we any different from the world if we only love people who love us?  In other words, how are we different if we only live out the Golden Rule toward just some people?  We are called to be “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-14) to everyone.

To summarize, the biblical mandate for followers of Jesus is this:  to proactively love, respect and take care of those around you, to the same level that we respect and care for ourselves – even to those that do not reciprocate that love, respect and care to us.  By living in this way, we are actively demonstrating and “preaching the Good News to everyone” (Mark 16:15 NLT).

Today, I encourage you to "Reflect on This."