February 5th, 2023

Devotional
“The Golden Rule”
Matthew 7:1-14, 24-29

Monday: “Ask, Seek, Knock” - Matthew 7: 7-8

Familiar words. Ask and it shall be given to you. What have you asked God for lately? Did you
get exactly what you asked for? Why not? That’s what the scripture says doesn’t it? Not quite.
Many in the church have taken this piece of scripture to mean that God will give you whatever
you ask for, when in fact, that is not what it says. Instead, this scripture is beckoning us to ask for
the things of the Kingdom of God. To search for what’s close to God’s heart, and knock of the
door of eternal life.
Friends, what a difference it could make if we shift what we think this verse means - meeting
our wants, needs, and desires, and instead see it as seeking after the heart of God. I once had a
women in a Bible study comment how she was struck by the fact that I often prayed in church
“God’s will be done.” She stated that she found comfort in the fact that we were seeking God’s
will together instead of simply a list of individual wants and concerns.
Let pray this week that God’s will be done. Let us seek after the Kingdom of God and let it reign
in our lives. Let us ask for the things that are close to the heart of God and ask that our heart love
those things and people as well. Amen!
How could praying for God’s will and Kingdom change your prayer life? If you already
pray for these things, how has it changed your prayer life?
Prayer: Lord, sometimes we get in our own way. We think that everything is all about us, instead of fo-
cusing on your Kingdom and reign. Help us this week to refocus on you. Seeking after your heart and
proclaiming your Kingdom! Amen.

Tuesday: “Good Gifts” - Matthew 7: 9-11

I love to give gifts. But I must admit that often I give things that are not on folks lists. I hand
stitch something for them, or find something in a store that reminds me of them or that I think
they will like. I am not very good at waiting for the birthday or Christmas list and sticking to it.
When I give people gifts, especially my nieces, I want to give them good things. Things they
will treasure and enjoy. Another interpretation of this scripture passage could be - if I as an aunt
want to give good gifts to my nieces, how much more so will God lavish good things upon us.
The problem is, all too often our wants and desires get in the way of appreciating all that God
has given us. Have you ever taken time to pick out the perfect gift only to have the receiver com-
plain that its not what they wanted? How did that make you feel? Yet, we seem to have no prob-
lem rejecting the good gifts God has given us.
What makes something a good gift?
What are the gifts God has lavished upon you that you have taken for granted?
Prayer: Lord, we confess that we are not always joyful recipients of your gifts and love. All too
often we fail to notice your gifts or have complained that they are not what we wanted, when we
wanted it. Forgive us, O Lord. Open up our eyes and ears and hearts so we can see the blessings
of each and every day. Amen.

Wednesday: “Do Unto Others” - Matthew 7:12

A lot of folks don’t realize that the teaching to do unto others as you would have them do unto
others is Biblical. Yes, the Golden Rule is found in God’s Holy Word, in several different places.
 Right after Jesus teaches his disciples about seeking after the heart of God and reminding them
that God gives good gifts, we find this teaching about doing unto others. There is a link between
what is in God’s heart and loving other people. One of the first verses that we often teach chil-
dren to memorize is “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son.” God loves the
world. God has not forgotten us or abandon us or given up on us. God made a way for the world
to come and know the love of God through Jesus on the cross. It is our job to share that good
news because our Heavenly Father loves the world.
What do you find challenging about the Golden Rule?
How is the Golden Rule connected to the heart of God?
Prayer: Lord, help us to share the good news of Jesus every day because you love the people we
are to share it with. Help us to treat other people as we would want to be treated - with kindness
and respect - because they are your children. Help us to uphold the Golden Rule in our daily
lives. Amen.

Thursday: “Leave Them” - Lev 19:9-10

Have you ever witnessed people gathering what they don’t really need in a store because there is
a good sale? You may have even overheard someone saying “I don’t need this now, but its a
good price.” I like to believe that people are picking those thing up for the needy in their commu-
nities, but I also know that often is not the case.
It is as if there is something deep within us that fears scarcity. Perhaps there was a time in our
life when we didn’t have everything we thought we needed. Or maybe we just learn to fear not
having enough from the TV, but too many people live in constant fear of not having enough. To-
day’s scripture speaks against that - not only reminding folks that they will have enough in their
fields, but telling them not to pick it clean. Instead, they are to leave a margin around the field
where those in need can come and glean. We are all in need of a margin in our lives. A margin in
our budgets and calendars where we can minister to those who are in need - with those for whom
scarcity isn’t a fear, its a reality.
What would it look like for you to leave a margin in your life for the poor and needy?
What could God do with this margin for the sake of the Kingdom of God?
Prayer: O God, help us to trust you. To trust that we do have enough. That we are enough. En-
courage us to leave a margin in our lives for the work of the Kingdom of God in and through us -
especially in the lives of the poor and needy. Use us, we pray. Amen.

Friday: “You” - Matthew 25: 35-36

Christ tells us in scripture that when we arrive at heaven we are going to be asked what we did
for those whom Christ deeply cares about. Did we feed people? Give them something to drink?
Welcome the stranger? Give clothes? Care for the sick and visit those in prison?
Our salvation is meant to be lived out. We are not meant simply to make a decision to love
Christ and then sit back and wait to be taken into heaven. No - our faith is meant to be embraced,
lived, and shared. How can you share you faith in Jesus this week with someone in need?
How can you live out your faith in a tangible way?
How has your faith impacted people before?
Prayer: God, thank you for calling us to an active faith. A faith that isn’t about sitting still and
waiting for you to return, but instead a faith that ministers to the world around us. Thank you for
inviting us all to be part of this mission. Amen.