Growing up, I remember learning the “golden rule” from my parents, which is based on the Bible:  “… whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them…” (Matthew 7:12). These words uttered by Jesus Christ Himself were, as He stated, the very essence of what was taught by “the Law and the Prophets.”

Christians should use this Scripture as a catalyst. In our daily lives, we should be actively looking out for the welfare of others—in our thoughts, in what we say and how we treat each other. When we scratch, bite and claw each other, we will be devoured, as it says in Galatians 5:15.

And yet, we have a continuing command to show the love to others that God shows to us (compare verse 14).  It is not a self-serving kind of love that God shows, but is an all-encompassing love that does no harm to others.

How do we respond when wrong is done to us? Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 and Matthew 5:38-44 give us valuable direction. Life is full of situations when people in the world are going to use and abuse us. They are going to say mean things. They will try and get at us. But if we pay back in kind, then we are no better then they, and our Christianity becomes meaningless. 

Are we asking ourselves: How important am I? How important are my emotions, my well-being, my self? Do we see how easy it is to fall into these traps of self-deceit, self-aggrandizement and self-centeredness? This is how Satan fell. The deception of pride crept into his heart. It rooted out ALL godliness. It became the very contradiction to God’s Way of Life.

Claiming to be a “Christian” does not mean that we are Christians, as 1 John 2:9-11,15-17 states so powerfully. So instead of engaging in deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness, we should instead be taking the extra care and diligence that is required to be focused on others. Philippians 2:1-5 says (in the New International Version): “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than [above] yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude [mindset] should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…”

Being a Christian demands action. It takes care and concern. It takes using the “golden rule” in our lives so that others around us can see that we live by what we say. And in turn they (in time) will perhaps learn to glorify God. There is no passing the buck when applying this rule. It is our individual duty that each one of us apply it in our lives for the benefit of others.

One of my favorite activities in times past has been to sit and engage in people watching. There is something unique about observing others without actually interacting. I think at times that this is how God looks down on mankind in general.  Sometimes I’ll be in my car and I’ll watch people even then, and it occurs to me: I am a God being, and all these people have the same exact potential! MIND BLOWING!

Of course, I am not really a God being yet, as I still bleed and such. But I am a God being in embryo. I am still in training.  Does this make me any better than all those with whom I am around? Not at all! This present existence, and all the evil that surrounds us, is truly a life-long trial. When we stop and think about the trials that we go through, what stands out for us?

Do we take the time to ask questions of ourselves? Do we blame others? Do we shuffle off responsibility? We read in 2 Corinthians 13:5: “Examine (prove, test, understand) yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?- unless indeed you are disqualified.” Do we follow Paul’s admonition and take the time to do these things? This is not a two-minute drill. This is an intensive, ongoing process. Trials should lead to action, which is truly what matters.

So what actions do we take? There really are two important pieces: Love for God and love for man.

That’s it, plain and simple. Do we see the magnitude? It’s not love for self, it’s not love for things in this world. It’s love for God and others. Being willing to lay aside our own feelings and thoughts for the good of others. Whatever we struggle with, whatever we go through, it has the purpose of changing us—from thinking about our own selves to looking for the good and the benefit of others. After his conversion, it was Paul’s goal to serve others—to help and to edify them!

When we go through trials, we are being refined and made purposeful and useful to God. 1 Peter 1:7 gives this purpose for trials: “… that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it be tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Action! This is what it means to grow and bear fruit. Action! To step out on faith and do what God commands. Action to leave behind old feelings, thoughts, fears and frustrations, and to instead walk in holiness, peace and love.

Action is what will set us apart. I read something recently that really brought this point home for me: “To be humble-minded, meek in spirit – but BOLD in thought and action; to be truthful, sincere, generous; to be pitiful to the poor and needy, respectful to all and to be thankful for our lot and to envy none – this is indeed be gentle after the best model the world has ever seen, and is far better than being genteel!” (Samuel Wells).

“To be humble-minded, meek in spirit, but bold in thought and action;  to be truthful, sincere, generous;  to be pitiful to the poor and needy, respectful to all men;  to guide the young, defer to old age;  to enjoy and be thankful for our own lot, and to envy none—this is indeed to be gentle, after the best model the world has ever seen, and is far better than being ‘genteel’.”  (1868, H. Friswell, The Gentle Life, p.13.)

We will become God beings, in time, if we learn to take action from the things we go through. We should do this for the purpose of helping others to become God beings as well! One day soon this will become our reality! Are we ready for that now? 

Throughout the Bible we are told that we must be simple, and yet in other places we are told that we should not be simple. So, which should we be?  In 2 Corinthians 11:3, Paul warns: “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

Paul’s concern here was very plain and evident. He was contemplating that some of God’s people would become deceived by Satan. He also seemed to include in his statement the warning that we must not follow Satan’s lead by becoming crafty or deceitful. The only way to avoid this is to embrace in our lives the “simplicity that is in Christ.”

The world would have us believe that the more it creates, invents and teaches and the more complexity that is being achieved, the better our lives will become. Can we not see, though, that in spite of our “modern” advances, things are NOT getting better? In fact, things are deteriorating at an alarming rate. How can so many be blinded to this truth?  We are called upon to simplify our complicated and complex lives.

Rather than being distracted by many things, we ought to concentrate on that which is needed. Martha “was distracted with much serving,” and she asked Christ to tell her sister Mary, who was listening to Christ’s words, to help her. But Christ answered: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:40-42).

Proverbs 1:22 asks the question: “How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?” The simplicity that is talked about here is the wrong kind of simplicity. Solomon is warning against being simple in an unwise way, without using godly understanding and wisdom. We are told that there is wisdom in God’s words, which give “understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130). God’s knowledge shows us how to obtain Christ’s simplicity—while rejecting the worldly concepts of “simple-minded” people.

The right kind of simplicity brings on many connotations. Recently I heard someone explain that simplicity is about bringing order to complexity. Simplicity at its core means that a lot of thought and preparation has gone into something, so that in the end, it can result in simplicity and a concept which can be easily understood. God’s entire plan, which is outlined in the Bible, is really simple or straight-forward, if our eyes have been opened.

In Psalm 19:7-11, we see the effects of using the Bible as a living document. We understand that Godly wisdom makes “wise the simple.” With that kind of right simplicity of living, there is also peace and rest (Matthew 11: 28-30). Simplicity in Christ is the way of life that we should want to live. Rather than striving for complex things that are beyond our reach, we must learn instead to let God take the lead and teach us how to live in this world at this time. This is what it means to lead our lives with Christ’s simplicity in us.