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Bible Reading Plan

Reading Plan: Matthew 5:1-20

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

He said:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

The Fulfillment of the Law

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

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Daily Devotional: Still Growing Up

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. 

Matthew 7:12

I started growing up in the 60s, and I’m still growing up today—in Jesus, that is.

In every classroom I was in as a kid, the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” was plastered on the cork above our chalkboard. We stared at those words every day from the rows in our classroom. Did we remember it when we were on the playground? Absolutely not.

 My dad had us recite the Golden Rule before we said our standard, memorized, nightly prayer. It was my dad’s favorite rule and it was seared into my sisters’ and my brains. 

Despite this Golden Rule following me everywhere, when I hung out with my close friend, almost daily, I followed her like a puppy. I’m pretty certain she didn’t have “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” pounded nightly into her brain. She was always up to some good and some bad, which meant I was too.

One day, at our local pool, she had what we both thought was a brilliant idea. There was a tall, pudgy boy in the shallow end, walking back and forth, spinning his fingers over and over. The plan was to swim to him, push him over, and then swim as fast as we could back to the five-foot end of the pool.

So that is what we did. But it backfired completely. His mom raced over and helped him up, shouting, “Don’t you girls even know the Golden Rule? Shame on you!”

I’ve never been more sorry in my life. And my brain has blocked out what happened after his mom shouted. But later, much later, I remember confessing what I had done to my dad, who listened. He nodded and said, “I hope you never do something so mean like that again.”

I know all of you reading this share my horror at this retelling. But I can confidently say I’ve never been so cruel to a person with special needs again. 

How do I want to be treated? I want to be respected. That’s the heart of the Golden Rule. Is gossip respectful? No. Using four-letter words in anger? No. Disrespecting parents? No. Yet I’ve done all of these things, and more.

Is it respectful to apologize? Yes, yes, yes. Vertically (to God) and horizontally (to the person we’ve wounded).

1 John 1: 9 says,” If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” We need to ask Jesus to forgive us when we sin and fail to follow the Golden Rule. 

Confession should always be an important part of our prayer life. And that is how we begin to grow and become more like Jesus.

Next Steps

The Golden Rule can be easily taught to your children and recited by you and them. Having a snappy song to teach our kiddos and our grands can help…I loved this one.