Do to others as you would have them do to you.
—Luke 6:31
“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you” (Mt 6:12 NRSV).
Confession: I am guilty of violating this dictum—not so much in words and deeds, but in thought.
My thoughts about others are sometimes critical and judgmental.
Jesus’ instruction is clear: “Do not judge.” “Love your neighbor as yourself.” A prohibition and a directive. A don’t and a do.
This text not only tells me how to treat others; it also tells me how to think about them. If, in their thoughts about me, I want them to be kind, not critical, and gentle, not judgmental, I must think of them in the same way.
I have work to do here. Lord God, help me “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor 10:5).
Think of others as you wish others to think of you.