Luke 6:31

Luke 6:31

Do to others as you would like them to do to you.

It’s tempting to read this verse, which is also known as the Golden Rule, as “Be good to others, and they will be good to you.” However, that isn’t what Jesus is teaching here. A few verses later, he directs us to love our enemies and to lend without expecting anything in return. “Then your reward from heaven will be very great,” Jesus says (verse 35). Have you recently done something for another with the hope that they would return the favor? If you find yourself disappointed or upset when someone doesn’t respond to your efforts to care for them, it’s a good indicator that you have misaligned motives. Is Jesus calling you to live out the Golden Rule with a specific person in your life?