Do to Others...

Luke 6:31, and Jesus said:

“And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”

In other words, never ask a man to do a job that you are not prepared to do yourself... or you can’t do. Always lead from the front. Hypocrisy is the thing that keeps so many from following after Jesus. Double standards, that’s right!

I looked up the Oxford Dictionary, another word for hypocrisy is to pretend. You pretend that you can do the job and you are shouting at the other man but you cannot do it yourself. We need to be honest and to treat folk as we would have them treat us. Always put yourself in their shoes and then ask yourself a question - if you were in that situation, how would you like people to treat you?

Don’t tell people how to do the job, rather show them how to do it.

Like a farmer driving along the headland in his pickup and the tractor driver is driving or ploughing in the wrong gear. Instead of shouting at the man, stop the pick-up, get out, get on the tractor and show him how to plough. That is how he learns and that is how he has respect for you.

Often we have riding instructors coming out from the USA and they show us the finer points in training horses and they are excellent. Treating an old lady or an old man with respect, always esteeming others better than yourself - I want to say to the preachers, you don’t preach down to people. You always preach up to people, always see them as better than yourself.

I remember watching a movie, many, many years ago of an old gentleman. He was in his working clothes, sitting in a roadhouse and he was about to get stuck into a lovely hot meal of potatoes and sausages.

He had a big mug of steaming coffee next to him. He looked pretty tired and then the door swung open and in came a bunch of young guys who had just got off their motorbikes - a whole line of big Harley Davidsons and they walked in. They had had a bit too much to drink. They walked up to the old man. They ruffled up his hair and started making a bit of a fool of him.

The one guy got his cigarette and stuck it in the mashed potatoes and somebody else put his cigarette in his coffee, and said, “What are you going to do about it old man?” And they all laughed. They went up to the counter to order another beer. The old man got up and he just walked out... He paid his account and walked out and as they were laughing and talking to each other, these young guys heard the engine of a massive truck start-up outside, a huge truck. Then all of a sudden they heard the most incredible noise as the truck rode over all their Harley Davidsons and carried on out of the driveway.

Treat people like you would like them to treat you.
God bless you.