We live in such a complex and confused culture. So many things happening. Some things we appreciate. Some things we radically oppose. Some are promising a summer of chaos. Others are hoping and praying for better days. If you had the power and the opportunity to positively impact culture with the desire to make a difference, what one verse or statement would be your guiding light?
Many people would go to a famous leader or a proven statement in history for their guiding strategy. Many of you would go to the Bible. There are several favorite verses we might select as we formulate our plan including, Psalm 37:5, Ecclesiastes 9:10a, Matthew 5:16, or 1 Corinthians 15:58. Any of those would be great.
If I had the power and the opportunity to positively impact culture, I would use and encourage others to practice Matthew 7:12. “Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” This is where we get the Golden Rule – Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Ponder, if only for a moment, everyone living out this verse and this principle. If politicians, preachers, and people in sales lived this out our culture would be radically different. What if this was the oath of doctors, clinicians, and those coaching people in the field of mental health? Imagine what life would be like if neighbors, landlords, and leaders practiced this verse every day. What if each one of us did the same? We might find ourselves saying, “This is heaven on earth.” I believe that is what Jesus Christ had in mind when He made the statement so long ago in His Sermon on the Mount. Our world, our culture, needs a reset.
I believe I can remember every tremor or small earthquake I have ever experienced. There is something about a shaking like that that is hard to forget. But all of these were local tremors experienced by a few hundred or a few thousand people. Imagine if the God of the universe would cause an earthquake, a shaking, that was simultaneously felt all over the world. That would be huge! People would be talking about it at work, at committee meetings, and over dinner. It would be the lead story in the evening news. Our world and our culture need a shaking of that kind. A reset. A widespread movement affecting us all.
Until God does what only He can do, let us do something we can do. This week, in your family, with your friends, and people you do not even know, practice the Golden Rule, and urge others to do the same. Let’s do our part to cause a positive shaking or tremor in our culture.
