TWO WAY TRAFFIC

Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men SHOULD DO TO YOU, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
On this journey through life we are going to be constantly meeting people. A person who never has contact with anyone else is living a truly miserable existence. Our world and our lives are made what they are by our relationships.
We of course know that our most important relationship is with God, and that too is a two way relationship. You can be sure that God is doing His part in that relationship. The question is what is our part? Of course we should study the Bible, that is the way He speaks to us. We should pray, that is the way we speak to Him.
Jesus made it plain how we are to treat others. Sometimes it is hard to treat someone with kindness and understanding when they do not treat you right.
Early in my ministry I had to deal a with small group of people who for some reason did not like me. I did not really understand why and I was deeply hurt by the whole episode. I spent much time in prayer and God gave me a very clear answer. He did not call me into the ministry to be loved. He called me into the ministry to love others and to share His love with them. Since that time I have been better able to love those who did not show love to me. I realized that I am not responsible for how others act but I am responsible for how I treat them.
It is not always easy to love those who mistreat you but it can be done, with help from God and close relationship with our Lord Jesus. I have found that it really relieves me of a lot of stress, a lot of guilt, and a heavy burden. A grudge is a heavy burden to carry around.
We are not to treat others as they treat us. We are to treat them as we want them to treat us. That’s not all that hard when you think about it.