Matthew 7:12
Do for others what you would like them to do for you. This is a summary of all that is taught in the Law and the Prophets.
This is the "Golden Rule." It is revered in every land, every culture, every time period. It is also a description of everything that had been written in the Hebrew Scriptures, and also in the New Testament.
Jesus said that to love God and to love our neighbor would result in obeying all the laws that had been given. To be thoughtful and kind and generous with others is how God designed us to behave. And to realize and understand how God loves us so deeply and passionately elicits a loving response from us.
John tells us that, "God is love" (I John 4:8), so those who know God, who have experienced His indescribable love, will also love others. If someone does not know how to love, it shows that they do not know God.
This does not mean that if I like strawberries, then I'll give you strawberries; but you may be allergic to strawberries. We must look deeper to understand this: If I want others to understand me, then I must learn to understand them, too; if I want others to grant me the benefit of the doubt, then I must also grant them the benefit of the doubt.
May God grant us to know His love, so we can love others with genuine love, not the "fake" love of the world. May He help us to see others with His eyes, understand with His discernment, and love them with His love. May He fill our minds with His thoughts, and fill our hearts with His love for others.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
