Ask Yourself Three Questions
Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” -- Matthew 22:37-38
How do you determine what is right and what is wrong? Does every decision reflect what Jesus would do or what He would have us do? Think about it. Oh, most of us seek God’s will on the big things. What about the smaller moments? Not so much.
Adam Hamilton, the senior pastor at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, gave three simple rules to help us determine what is right and what is wrong.
The first question we should ask ourselves: Will this honor God.
“A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” -- Matthew 22:39
Who is your neighbor? Anyone and everyone. Jesus tells us to love our enemies and to love one another. Some folks are easy to love. Others are pretty difficult to even like and we’re supposed to love them. It doesn’t matter. We’re supposed to ask ourselves what’s the loving thing to do -- even when it’s someone who has done us wrong.
“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.” -- Mathew 7:12
We've all heard this before. It's called the Golden Rule. But what does it mean?
In his study, Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White, Hamilton gives an example about selling a used car. How would you feel if you bought the car? How would you feel two months later? You’d want to feel good about your purchase. That’s how the person who buys the car from you should feel.
Of course, this method of making decisions isn’t without problems. Whenever we’re the ones asking questions and coming up with the answers, we’re going to make mistakes. We’re going to get it wrong sometimes. But it’s a starting point.
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