All In… In the Giving!

“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:12

But Lord, in EVERYTHING?!?!?!?!

“You have heard (it’s what EVERYBODY says!) that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” ‘But I say (it’s what sets you apart!) to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.’

In EVERYTHING!

Not just the flimsy, fake, “good to see you”, two finger handshake, and words about love, said with a smile… For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Matthew 5:43-47

The blessing, life sustaining, the giving of hope, kind of love (like your Father Who is in heaven). Agape love… unconditional, a full heart of TRUE love… Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails; 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Let’s hear that again!! LOVE NEVER FAILS!

Let’s be honest, isn’t this how we think WE SHOULD be treated? 

So then the choice is pretty clear, For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “ You shall love your neighbor as yourself .” That one word? LOVE!

Or, you can be a… a law breaker with your pals called “everybody else says” or “nobody does this in today’s world”. Just don’t be surprised when you don’t get what you want but you get what you give…  if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. Galatians 5:14-15

It is a scary world out there today! Some would say, “You gotta be tough  or become a lamb headed for slaughter.” In fact, I think the passion of so many people today is power, control, and status. We think very highly of ourselves (not so much you but your usefulness) and strive for the WHOLE PIE. After all we are told from cradle to grave we can be all, do all, and have all, if we set out minds to it.” And, “Oh yeah, we might take you along for the ride, IF… you don’t make me mad!”

There’s just one SMALL problem, really, just a minor catch to your plan to destroy anyone and everything that stands in your way…  For it is written, “ As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me , And every tongue shall  give praise to God .”  Romans 14:11

Whether you, little person, believe it or not, God is in control! The One true God, The God of Israel, The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Great I Am! Atheist, Agnostic, Theist, or someone who just doesn’t care, truth stands as man made statues fall. For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.   Romans 12:3,13:10

God is in control, so when He says, “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” we really ought to!

And when He says, “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13, we really should go for the gold – the greatest, we really should go for love (not lust! L.O.V.E!).

What if I “NEED” to be treated badly? What if I strive to be a victim of your imperfections (sins) so that I might show how “bad” you are and how “helpless” I am? What if I want to bring you down to a level below me so I do not have to struggle to climb higher? What if I don’t KNOW what I want?

I say, “That would be a bag of _________… call it what you will”, you have a plan in mind, for yourself and everyone else and I would suggest you WANT the power, control, and status! So… yep… in everything, treat them as if they have the kind of power, control and status you desire. In EVERYTHING! Even in your self-deception.

Every man, woman and child that has the breath of God in them, was created with love and for love and in love. We have a burning desire (whether we can correctly identify the desire) to be wanted… to be known… and to be loved without regard to conditions or threats or manipulation. We don’t always get love from people as imperfect as each of us so, in desperation and disappointment, we give what we get.

Flip It! It’s not about what you get – it’s about what you give!

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift ofprophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 GIVE LOVE!

Don’t know love? “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

Know God and you will KNOW LOVE and you will HAVE love to give!

In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you… 

Treat them with love in everything…

It’s not in what you get – It’s in what You Give… this is the Law and the Prophets.

Be.All.In… In the giving!

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.