Do Unto Others.....

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets."
Matt. 7:12 (NLT)

Jesus encouraged his followers to treat people the way they want to be treated. This truth is simple and not hard to follow. In order for this to happen you have to constantly put yourself in the place of the other person before you act upon your emotions. Practically speaking this means that I should ALWAYS strive to treat others fairly because that is how I want to be treated. Notice that I said 'fairly' and not 'equal'. There is an ideology out there that says we should treat everyone the same, but that will never happen. I know that I will not treat everyone in the same way as I treat my wife or family, but that does not take away my responsibility of treating people fair and humanely.

This morning I read an article on Yahoo about a hospital that is dumping patients in the worst neighborhoods of their community. They are treating people worse than anyone would treat an animal. Why has the world plummeted to such a level? I believe these actions are a direct result of our inability to listen to the simple plan of God. He wants us to love and live as He did. This is only possible through total submission to His will and a willingness to be led by His spirit.

Why not put this into action today? Purposely think about someone who you are having a hard time getting along with and make plans this week to see life from their perspective. Regardless of racial, financial, or cultural differences try to see life as they do. Look at them through the eyes of Jesus as one created by Deity. I promise this will open up your eyes and you will deal with them fairly and as Jesus would.

Are We That Stupid?

I was watching an episode of ER last night that really got under my skin. This episode is from this season from about two weeks ago. The ER got several new medical students who are doing their rounds. One of the new med students is a blonde girl who apparently has a faith in Christ. In several scenes she was shown saying the Lord's Prayer, quoting Psalm 23, and praying for different patients. These were all positive things, however, they scripted the character to be incompetent and unskilled in her profession. It was quite obvious to me that this show was trying to send a message that Christians are not normal and do not fit in. This is not the first time I have seen this depiction. Many shows on television have bought into this. Pay attention the next time you watch a crime drama. The overly zealous Christian is the one who went crazy and started a murdering spree.
I believe my biggest problem about all of this is that it is okay for the media and any other group to say whatever they want about Christians and Christianity, but if a Christian shares their opinion on a controversial topic then we are being judgmental. John 16:33 reminds us that we are going to have trouble and persecution in this world. I pray that we can continue to be reminded of this and attempt to ignore the bashing of God's people.

No Pride and a Lot of Prejudice

James 2:1-4 (NLT)

My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim that you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people more than others? For instance, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in shabby clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, "You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor"--well, doesn't this discrimination show that you are guided by wrong motives?

I have always been interested in the topic of social equality. It is amazing that people can be so cruel to each other because of skin color, socioeconomic status, etc. I know that my parents never taught me to hate anyone and I am proud of that fact. Our family today is a product of that: my wife is Caucasian, I have a sister-in-law from Puerto Rico, and one from Africa. Our family get togethers are always interesting. I feel that our diversity is a blessing and am glad that we all accept each other despite our many differences.

I presented a lesson on the above scripture that I would like to share here today. First I want to define a few terms.

1. Prejudice - Evaluation of a group and its members.
- Unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or
without knowledge, thought, or reason.
2. Discrimination - Behavior based on other’s membership in a social group.
3. Stereotype - Beliefs about a social group and its members.

There are several ways that we can show prejudice:
- Disability
- Racial/Ethnic
- Ageism
- Sexual Orientation
- Socioeconomic
- Marital Status (Divorced, Single, Interracial)
- Weight

I could add more to the list above, but I think you get my point.

James was saying that it is sinful to make superficial judgments concerning others. I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that we are 'made in the image of God' (Genesis 1:27). This tells us that everyone regardless of what they look and act like are created in His image. If we begin to see people that way then maybe we can get rid of some of the prejudices that we hold on to. I am also reminded of 1 Samuel 16:7 where it tells us that God looks at our hearts and not our outside appearance. If we could only see ourselves as God sees us then we could start the process of healing. We have beat each other up and discriminated so much that it has become a normal part of our society. I pray that each of us will begin to look at ourselves and be honest about our prejudices and those we discriminate against. This realization and acceptance of our problem is the first step in recovery. God bless.