God’s principles of conduct

 An Emoji Devotional for Fri 8th Oct, 2021

Topic: God’s principles of conduct

By H.U.Wenger

The Bible gives us quite a few instructions on how we are supposed to shape our lives in society. Today I would like to highlight only two general rules God has given to his people. 

Highlights: “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. (Leviticus 19, 2 compare Matthew 5, 48) 

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 compare Luke 6:31)

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Ephesians 2:3 – 4)

The context of these verses in the Old and in the New Testament gives us a multitude of hints on how we should live among our neighbors. The culture in which most of us have been born teaches us exactly the opposite. Look out for yourself! I am number one, first me and then me again and then my friend and that’s me! It is not possible to change the selfish attitude without looking to the LORD, who went so far that he laid down his Lordship and became human and lived among us. He was tempted the same way we are tempted, he felt as we feel, but he remained holy and without any sin. Father, Son and the Holy Spirit loved us so much that they wanted to know firsthand, how life is for us. Although we only know for sure that God’s motivation to save the human beings, who got lost for eternity, was his love, I dare think that Jesus had the thought: What would I wish for, if I were in that dire situation? Could it be that such a thought has moved him to guarantee our salvation before the earth was even created? God wants us to put ourselves into the shoes of the people we are dealing with. What would I like to have done to me if I were in the situation my neighbor is now in? If I just blindly keep a commandment, I do not have compassion and love for another human being, I am only fulfilling a requirement. God expects more from us. The Apostle Paul exclaims in Colossians 3:12 – 14: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. 

Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity”.

All of us have expectations about how we should be treated by others and all of us have experienced how often times our expectations have not at all be met. 

Our reactions are between disappointment, indignation and outright fury and often time our self-worth is diminished greatly by the negative experiences. No matter how much I have disappointed God, he loves me, he welcomes me in his arms and he wants to save me by giving me life eternal. On the other hand he expects me to totally distance myself from my selfish attitude and to reach out to my fellow human beings with his love and compassion. He wants me to do to others what I would like done to me and by doing so I am fulfilling the Law and the word of the prophets. 

Can you imagine how our world would look like, if all the people, who pretend to be Christians, would wholeheartedly live this out? Let us start today and so spread the love of God to our environment. 

Just by following the two basic rules, being wholly dependent on God and his holiness and doing to people what we would like to have done to us, we will be witnesses of God’s love and point to him as the Savior. 

Prayer: Dear God, you have loved me so much in Jesus that you lived and died for me, just to give me what I most urgently needed: Salvation from eternal death. Help to conduct myself in a way that will invite others to accept your salvation. Amen.