Daily Devotional for September 11, 2015

Matthew 7:12
“Do for others what you want them to do for you. This is the teaching of the laws of Moses in a nutshell."

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Social media is blowing up today with posts about 9/11/2001. Almost everyone has a “9/11 story”…if only to say, “I remember where I was when it happened.”  And we do remember all of the horrific, devastating, life-altering events of that day - and the days/weeks that followed.  May God grant His peace and comfort to all who were directly or indirectly affected by that tragedy…and in one way or another, this includes all of us.

Having said this, I wonder just how much we do remember about 9/11…because in that moment, many of us came together in extraordinary ways.  We dropped the judgments and the pretenses, and we became friends helping friends, neighbors supporting neighbors…Christian brothers and sisters loving others.  And I have to ask…what has happened to us in the last fourteen years?

The backbiting and judgment, hatred and fear seem to be at all-time highs.  Because of our access to “instant media,” we not only know more about this…we are able to perpetuate it.  “Did you hear what XYZ said or ABC did?” we ask almost giddily.  We cannot wait to revel in the latest come-uppance of someone who played “high and mighty” in some way - and we are more than a little eager to knock him/her down a peg.  We set ourselves apart from the masses and pretend that we have no problems – or shortcomings and downright failures…that we are just a smidge better than the next guy.

Or…we look at others, throw up our hands, and say, “Not my problem!”  The current refugee crisis in Syria…and the hungry and homeless (both the 2-legged and four-legged varities) in our own community immediately come to mind.  What happened to the spirit of camaraderie that followed 9/11?  What happened to working together rather than picking each other apart?  How have we lost our way so badly?

In her book, For the Love*, author Jen Hatmaker says, “We are not good gods over one another; we are better humans beside each other.”  Matthew 7:12 is known by many as “The Golden Rule”…and indeed, its words encompass a hallmark by which we are all called to live.  It’s time we got started…and I can’t think of a better day than this one.

©2015 Debbie Robus

*For The Love - ©2015  Thomas Nelson Books for HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.