Monday: Do Unto Others 1

"Do to others as you would have them do to you."

Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. Dads, I pray you had a really nice day. It is Monday and the day we pray for our leaders, our military, our police, and firefighters, and all others who work so hard to keep us free and safe. A big day on the prayer line ... please pray for The Bridges, and our flock there. Yesterday morning when I arrived to have service (about an hour plus before the service time) I was greeted by a nurse who informed me that two residents had died, one in the hospital and one in her room. Peggy Everhard who we have been praying for is still hanging in, and doing somewhat of a rebound. There is also another lady in very bad shape. I am sure my plans will be up in the air this week. Please keep me in your prayers also. One of the hardest things to all who work in senior care is losing the ones you love and work with. The good point about being the pastor at such a place is, if you are really getting out the word, you know the people know the way home. I feel 100% the reason God has placed me there is to be sure all have heard the word, the true and complete word. I truly feel, and I must say this, that all groups that are on the road singing the gospel and looking for churches to sing at, should put in some "free" concerts in their home areas. As these groups would share their blessings of singing, God will open doors to the places that will pay them to stay on the road. It is simple, it is called, "SHARING YOUR BLESSINGS".

Do Unto Others! 1 Luke 6:31 - "Do to others as you would have them do to you." (NIV)
This is more than just a line in the Bible, it is the words of our Lord Jesus. I hope to bring to you this week something that is very hard to do. I want to talk to you on the subject about loving your enemies.

It is not always easy to show love and really love, not just show it, to those who have over the years, trashed you, stomped you into the ground, and even worse. Jesus showed this love to His enemies as He died on the cross for us. If I were to talk to any business owner, or anyone who is a "boss" or supervisor, as a supervisor I know that so many would step you into the ground, stand and gossip about you, and do all they could do to try and get the boss into trouble. I was blessed by God and good parents who taught me to forgive and to love others, to be able to take a person to task who broke the rules of the company and then forgive them and still love them. Those who are supervisors who don't learn that will find that it will eat them apart. Yes, love is a really good thing, but hate and hate for others will eat at you and eat at you. It will bring you nights of not sleeping, and long days of fretting.

When I was in my teens I would hear some kids say, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you, only do it first." You know for a long time that one sort of went over my head, but it now makes good sense to me. Love others first so that they might love you back. You folks know that Jesus was and still is very much hated by many and if we truly follow Jesus we will find that we will be hated also, even by some who claim to be born again. So if we truly are following Jesus we will love those who truly hate us. Jesus showed this love when He died for us, and He died also for those who hated Him. And what were some of His last words ... this was true love folks ... Jesus said, "Forgive them Father for they do not know what they are doing."

Brothers and sisters, we all at one time or another have had someone do something to us that we would really like to bop them on the nose for. Yes, show our love with a little love tap to their face. Come, you know at one time or another you felt like that. I found that back in those days when I would feel that way the other dude would be, well bigger then me. Or he was a weight lifter, or some big sports jock, and here I was a little band guy. So I never really went to bop a person in the nose, nope, not me jack, I just wanted to be loved and love the others as Jesus said, and my mamma taught me. Turn the other cheek mom would say ...

Tomorrow, God willing, I want to talk to you about when hate hits families, when brothers and sisters forget to love others. So if this subject is going to fit you, call those relations tonight and try and patch it up. I don't care if you have done it before, try again, and keep trying till you get it worked out. Let's pray.

Dear Father in Heaven, thanks for teaching us love, for love is so much, so very much better than hate. And like good and evil Lord, there seems to be no in between. And Lord, so many people have trashed the word love, making it a sex thing. Lord, please keep us on track on this message. Lord, please bless our leaders, from our President and all our leaders in Washington and in State houses, and Lord please watch over our troops and their families and over all those who protect us from harm. Please Lord, bless them so good as only You could bless them. In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.

Go forth now sharing your blessings and loving all, ALL, others ... love ya, dan.