IF EVERYONE FOLLOWED THESE PRINCIPLES, THE WORLD WOULD BE A BETTER PLACE
The sayings below are from the bible. Some are direct quotes of scripture and some are paraphrases of scripture. They are all practical examples of how to love your neighbor that anyone can do. Even people who do not believe in God can appreciate that attitudes and behaviors like these are necessary to building and maintaining healthy relationships at all levels — including business, government and internationally.
These sayings do not typically appear in the bible with an explanation that it is a commandment. Perhaps that is why they are so often dismissed as optional behaviors by Jews and Christians. With or without a “thus sayeth the Lord” command, however, the benefits of obeying them are obvious to anyone — even people who do not believe in God.
All sayings should be interpreted as commandments, laws, statutes, ordinances, precepts and judgments spoken by God because everything God says should be interpreted as a commandment, law, statute, ordinance, precept or judgment to be obeyed. Furthermore, since God is love, his words should be considered as expressions of who God is. People who do not believe in God can just think of them as good rules to live by.
While reading, it is comforting to imagine what the world would be like if people would relate to one another in these kind and gentle ways. Change would not happen immediately, but eventually divisions would cease and all people would live in peace and harmony. That is exactly what God had in mind when he gave these commands.
No one will be surprised to recognize that Jews and Christians do not relate to all people according to God’s commands. Some Jews and Christians try to obey some of these commands with respect to their co-religionists, but usually fail in those efforts also just like they fail in their secular relationships. It is fair to say, therefore, that Jews and Christians do not accurately represent God’s character to the world. It is also fair to say, therefore, that they break the Third Commandment.
Readers who would like to know the scriptural references to these sayings can find most of them (with some searching) in an unordered list in God’s Commands About How to Relate to Him and to One Another.
| HOW TO RELATE TO ALL PEOPLE | |
| ♥ Do not seek your own good, but seek the good of your neighbor.
♥ Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. ♥ Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. ♥ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ♥ Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another. ♥ Love with words and deeds. ♥ Live in harmony with one another. ♥ Do not be proud, but enjoy the company of the lowly. ♥ Do not be conceited. ♥ Love your neighbor as you love yourself.
♥ Be of one heart and soul ♥ Do not claim that anything belonging to you is your own, but all things are common property. ♥ Walk with humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love. ♥ Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. ♥ Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other. ♥ Submit to one another. ♥ Have a sincere love of the brethren; fervently love one another from the heart. ♥ Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. ♥ Be of the same mind toward one another. ♥ Do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. ♥ Do not hate your brother in your heart but you may rebuke your neighbor. ♥ Do not be wise in your own estimation. ♥ Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. ♥ Respect what is right in the sight of all men. ♥ If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. ♥ Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. ♥ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. ♥ Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes And clever in their own sight. ♥ Do not think more highly of yourself than you ought to think; but think so as to have sound judgment. ♥ Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor. ♥ Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves. ♥ Do not taunt or blasphemed. ♥ Do not raised your voice against anyone. ♥ Do not lift your eyes in pride. ♥ Do not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another. ♥ Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ♥ Be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit. ♥ Do not grumble, find fault, follow after your own lusts, speak arrogantly, or flatter people for the sake of gaining an advantage. ♥ Do not steal, murder or lie. ♥ Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow. ♥ Treat everyone with high regard: Love the brotherhood; fear God, honor the king. ♥ Seven things that God hates:
♥ Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech. ♥ Turn from evil and do good. ♥ The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. ♥ Do not call any man impure or unclean. ♥ Contribute to the needs of others. ♥ Practice hospitality. ♥ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ♥ Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. ♥ If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ♥ Do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. ♥ Do not be wise in your own estimation. ♥ Encourage one another and build up one another. ♥ Please you neighbor for his good, to his edification. ♥ Make no distinction between yourself and others. ♥ Build others up and do not tear them down. ♥ Plant others and do not pluck them up. ♥ Love edifies. ♥ Pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. ♥ Do not become arrogant in behalf of one against the other. ♥ Seek peace and pursue it. ♥ Please your neighbor for his good, to his edification ♥ if you have a disagreement with someone, do not betray another’s confidence or the one who hears it may shame you and you will be judged as guilty. ♥ Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow is one who gives false testimony against a neighbor. ♥ Like a broken tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble. ♥ Like a muddied spring or a polluted well are the righteous who give way to the wicked. ♥ God has called us to peace. ♥ An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies. ♥ Speaking rashly is like a piercing sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. ♥ With his mouth a man speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets a trap for him. ♥ The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords. ♥ Speak truth to one another, render true and sound judgments. ♥ Do not murder your neighbor, be angry with them or call them names. ♥ Do not make judgements about your neighbor. ♥ Do not commit adultery with your neighbor’s spouse. ♥ Do not tell lies about your neighbor. ♥ Do not steal or envy anything that belongs to your neighbor. ♥ Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. ♥ Do to others as you would have them do to you. |