Prayer: Father, help me to convey Your heart. May I represent You accurately. In the name of Yeshua, amen.
Reading: Psalm 129 key: vs. 1b-2a
“How many times they have been hostile to me,
even from my youth”—let Israel now say—
2 “How greatly they have been
hostile to me, even from my youth.
Attention: Have you ever been bullied? I have. I remember an experience when I was about nine years old. A boy in my class approached me with four of his buddies. We stood face to face, while the rest of his friends surrounded me. Unbeknownst to me, one of his buddies got down on all fours behind me. He let me know his concern and warned me to stay away from Laura. As he warned me, he pushed me over the kid who was behind me, and I toppled over him. I wasn’t hurt but I was intimidated. I kept my distance from him, message received. He had a couple of older brothers. The younger of his two brothers was a good high school athlete, a wrestler. This brother became a Christian and went on to wrestle in college. His wrestling success in college landed him a spot on the Athletes in Action team sharing his testimony for Jesus. I can only hope that through his brother’s influence, he also came to know Jesus.
Most of us have experienced bullying in some form whether as a youth or an adult, or a male or female. Whether in school or the workplace, bullying happens. The young man I just told you about, I discovered sometime later, had an alcoholic father. What I have come to know is that those who bully or abuse others, usually were bullied or abused.
I pray for you today, whichever side of the stick you are on. I have experienced both sides of the stick. The Holy Spirit through the Word is here to transform us. The solution to our problems and the world’s problems is application of the Word. Adonai gave us a remarkably simple guideline found in Matthew 7:12, “So in all things, do to others what you would want them to do to you—for this is the Torah and the Prophets.”
This verse has been affectionately titled The Golden Rule. The simplicity of it is that it applies to everyone. There is no race, gender, age, or status mentioned. Just, treat others how you want to be treated. What a better place our world would be to live in if we all lived by this guideline.
Action: I will begin today to apply the Golden Rule to everyone I meet.
Yield: When I submit to the Word of God, I am transformed and the people around me are transformed too.
Engaged: I am engaged with the Word and the Holy Spirit when I apply it.
Relationship: I am in relationship with the Sovereign Adonai.
Prayer: Father, thank You for the reminder of a simple, little rule, which has such a major impact on our relationships with the people around us. Give me Your planned appointments today of people who need a touch from You, through me. Amen.
Memory Verse: Matthew 7:12 “So in all things, do to others what you would want them to do to you—for this is the Torah and the Prophets.”
Music Video: Garth Hewitt – Do Unto Others
Remember, “Abide in Yeshua, today!”