“Do Unto Others...”...most of you will immediately recognize this first lesson I learned as the “Golden Rule”, although I did not know what it was when I was first introduced to this Motto in grade school, courtesy of a soft drink company. It was the mid-fifties, and one of the things I looked forward to each year was the annual Special Christmas Gifts that a certain cold drink bottling company sent our way. For many years I have intended to write this certain bottling company, to thank them for not only the gifts they gave us grade-schoolers, but especially for the Basic Scriptural Truth they showed me and others (even though I know they probably would not want to quickly “take credit” for having shared any kind of Spiritual Truth, especially in light of today’s atmosphere of “political correctness”).

The first year I got my gifts, I was overjoyed and overwhelmed. We didn’t “have much”, as kids in our family, and there were times when we actually didn’t even have a Christmas at all -- and, by this, I mean there were times when we got no gifts at all -- but I could always count on the generous bottling company to at least give me something at Christmas Time. Though I have since found out that other school children around the country got similar gifts, what our school got was a wonderful selection of school goodies, and here is the list of what we received:

• One Big Chief Notebook
• One Big Red Pencil and
• One Wooden Ruler, with the words “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” inscribed on it (I still have several of those rulers, although not the originals I received as a child)

How did it “change” my heart? Well, for starters, as a child I was one most miserable little boy, as were my older sister and younger brother. Alcoholic parents who fight and curse and tend to stay in an abusive mood will do that to a family, but that is not what I wish to focus on in this writing. I had my childhood moments of joy with friends and typical childhood stuff, and as abusive and miserable as things might have been at home, my real need was my own personal self-esteem, of which I had very little. Besides being artistic and athletic, which allowed my narrow world to enjoy drawing, art, baseball and a few other delights, I had very few pleasures in my young life.

But...when I first began to grasp the enormity of those words, “Do unto others...”, I began to realize that here was something “beyond myself” that even I could do...and I could afford it. It wouldn’t “cost” me anything, which was a very good thing, because my only regular “personal money” I ever had was what I got from gathering coke bottles that had been tossed along the side of the road, along with the occasional gallon glass milk jug that I might find (which was a real bonanza, selling for 25 cents!). But those words, “Do unto others...”, really began to make sense to my young heart, and I actually began to understand that I needed to treat people the way I wished to be treated!

No one explained that important principle of life to me. My family was not a church-going family (my father claimed to be an “atheist”, though he was really only an angry and rebellious “agnostic”), so I did not learn that Truth in some nice, cozy little Sunday School room. As a young and tender-hearted child I just “figured it all out” for myself. The simplicity of the words certainly made sense to me. I should state here, though (so as not to mislead anyone), that I most certainly believe the Lord was dealing with my young, impressionable heart, even long before I came to know anything about Him or His Ways. Like I said... these truths are very simple, yet very profound, and here -- at the young age of six or seven -- I began to “practice” what I believed to be a necessary truth...a necessary truth even for a troubled, unhappy kid growing up in the ’50s. And that simple little principle of “doing unto others” would stay with me all throughout my life, until this very day.

Does it mean I have never done any harm to anyone? No...not by a long shot. And does it mean I have been “perfect” in the practice of this principle? Again, no, but I have diligently striven to obtain such a noble goal. “Always striving, but never quite arriving”, one might say...and then, one day -- not long after I had become a born-again Christian (I was 20 years old at the time) -- what do you suppose I discovered? I found out that the wise little saying of “Doing unto others” had actually been “borrowed” from scripture -- from Matthew 7:12, to be exact.

Now, with the help of the Word of God, the Holy Spirit and my new-found faith in Jesus Christ -- Who was and is that Word -- I could come to a place of rest...no more striving, no more proving, no more me trying to be “good” and “perfect” all the time in every situation. While it is noble and good to strive to “do unto others the way we would have them do unto us”, there is still that place of “ceasing from our own labors” and coming to a true rest in Him, according to Hebrews 4:9-11. But I will not stop to “editorialize” here, though I may be somewhat tempted to do so. Nevertheless...even after discovering that Truth of Matthew 7:12, it would still be a while before I would learn how to truly “live” the Christian life, but I was on my way.

As I think back, maybe the president of that bottling company was a good, faithful, church-going man; maybe he was even a true, born-again Christian. Whatever the case, that bottling company truly and thoroughly blessed my life with those little gifts, over 40 years ago when they (intentionally or un-intentionally) introduced me to the scriptural principle of “Doing unto others”.

Oh...and one more thing: Even though, as a child, I honestly preferred “another brand” of cola, as I got older I always seemed to “find my way back” to that certain bottling company’s drink. To this very day, I pretty much drink -- and actually prefer -- that company’s brand of soft drink. So perhaps, in the long run, their campaign of free Christmas Goodies for grade-schoolers actually worked out as a long-term investment and far-sighted “marketing tool” for them. Even though the marketing angle may have been their primary goal, the fact that their annual gifts touched and changed the life of one lonely child (although, I suspect there were many others), then their “campaign” was well worth the effort and their boardroom tactics are still appreciated and thankworthy...and so, I once again say: “Thanks...”

[ NOTE: You may wonder why I do not “name” that certain bottling company. It is basically to keep things “simple”, not desiring to give any unintentioned Free Advertisement to any one company (no matter how grateful I might be). If you would like to know the name, just send me an e-mail. I certainly have no desire to be “secretive” here. ]

I learned this next important Life Lesson in High School. Obviously (or perhaps I should say: “hopefully”), I learned other lessons in junior high and other places along my journey, but the next truly important lesson came in the eleventh grade, in -- of all places -- my R.O.T.C. class. For those unfamiliar with Reserved Officers Training Corps, it was an alternative “pre-military type” class, and it seemed to be mainly for those of us who did not want to take P.E., of which I was one. Of course, it was more than that, but -- to be truthful -- most kids joined R.O.T.C. (in the beginning anyway) because it delivered them from the intimidations and insults of gym class.

Like many kids my age (from 13 and 14 on up), we found very little enjoyment being mocked, ridiculed, tormented and embarrassed day in and day out in gym class, and -- even though the R.O.T.C. “seemed like” a sure-fire way to get drafted -- it was, instead, a nice leisurely way to spend your days dressed in nice khaki outfits with nifty little insignias on our arms and shoulders. In the mid-sixties, when I got into R.O.T.C., the Viet Nam War was going full-bore, and -- I must admit -- I had my fears and doubts, but R.O.T.C. was definitely not a mistake in my case.

In 1965, after transferring to a new high school (after being transferred to another “foster” family [please read our Personal Page for more on that]), I transferred all of my R.O.T.C. credentials as well, and I found that I was “one rank above” most guys my age at my new school. I was a “sergeant”, with 3 stripes, while most guys in my class were “corporals”, with 2. Because of this, I was immediately placed into a “minor” leadership role, even though I was the “new guy on the block”. And, because of this, I was also immediately placed into a position to begin learning some very important lessons about military life.

Our commandant, who was really just a “high-salaried teacher in uniform” (but I certainly mean no disrespect by saying that), was Colonel White. He was also a very good Baptist man, and he let us know that fact every now and again. On the one hand, this was good, because I was also in a Baptist church at the time, but on the other hand, he really didn’t like me very much. Why...? I do not know for certain, but he gave me grief every chance he got. I sort of suspect it was because I came from another school, a little more advanced in rank than his own guys, and also because I had to work a job at the local Kroger store after school -- meaning I was unable to attend most extra-curricular R.O.T.C. activities. At least that’s all I’ve ever been able to figure out.

At any rate, by the middle of my junior year, I had been promoted to Platoon Leader, and by the end of that year, I had been promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. More importantly, though...by the end of the year I had been given the position as Company Commander of “C” Company, a very prestigious position, to be sure (there were only five companies, so to be chosen as a leader of one of them was quite special -- and, believe me, I was thrilled). However, by now most of my peers had reached the same rank as I, so we were now all on a “level” playing field.

As I said, our commandant, Col. White, was not terribly fond of me, and -- as I stated -- the fact that I worked at Kroger’s prevented me from throwing myself “full-force” into the Corps. But, to be very honest, I really needed the money, not only saving up for college (to avoid being drafted at the end of my senior year), but also for my expenses such as clothes, personal items and the like (I did have a life outside of R.O.T.C.!). Working at Kroger’s, I found myself alongside some of my R.O.T.C. buddies, but most of them could afford to take off for school functions whenever they needed to, being blessed with fairly wealthy parents. I, on the other hand, had no such luxury.

As stated: At this time in my life I was living with another foster family (one of a dozen or so over a three year period) in a middle-class section of town that just so happened to be in a fairly wealthy school district where most of the families were upper middle class or higher. The cars that some of my classmates drove still amaze me to this day...everything from souped-up GTO’s to the new Chevy Malibus; from Stingrays to Mercedes; and our school parking lot always seemed to have its fair share of the newest Mustang models.

When I finally got a car to drive (although only for a very short period of time), it was an old gray ’52 Plymouth...and it had some exhaust problems! I was truly “out of my element” in this school, and I knew it, but I was determined to make the best of it. Even as I came to realize that Col. White didn’t especially like me, I decided that I would also have to make the best of my R.O.T.C. classes as well. So I studied very hard and one day -- during my junior year -- I got that much-coveted promotion to a Company Commander position. And I truly looked forward to a great senior year.

These promotions were important to me, meaning not only had I earned the respect of my fellow Corps members, but I had also earned some form of respect from Col. White. Of course, there was also another reason for my promotions. I had scored very high in all of my tests and schoolwork in R.O.T.C., and this meant that Col. White sort of “had no choice” in the matter. One thing these promotions did for me was to put me in the place of learning Military Leadership Training, so most of my junior year was actually spent in “preparation training” for my Senior Command. It was here that I learned a lesson that would prove important in school, later in the Navy, in future jobs, in church, and even in my marriage. The lesson, as nearly all of life’s lessons, was really quite simple:

What this meant was: Never “correct” someone, using shouting and verbal threats, even though they may have been “disobedient” or “disrespectful” in front of you and your men. Instead, take them aside quietly and privately, and deal with them one-on-one, man-to-man. Now in theory this is an excellent principle, but in reality I never really saw it practiced. If you’ve ever heard the military term “to dress down”, you probably know it means to “chew someone out” (usually very thoroughly and usually to a point of insult and offense, which would usually mean in front of people). And, if you’ve ever seen any kind of military movie (especially one showing recruits in “boot camp”), you have no doubt seen drill sergeants absolutely terrorizing their recruits, going way beyond any kind of insult and threat.

Even a few years later, while in Navy boot camp, I constantly saw leaders “dressing down” their men -- ridiculing, cursing and making all manner of threats -- while fellow recruits looked on. One such incident of “dressing down” (which I saw with my own eyes, and I shall never forget), caused a young, fearful and vulnerable recruit to actually commit suicide later that day. So in theory, at least, the principle of “not reprimanding” someone before their peers is a good thing. But in reality it does not usually work, and it is very seldom practiced... especially in the military.

However, having said all of that, let me now say this: even though I’ve seen leaders abuse, misuse and totally ignore this very sound principle (and I’ve even seen this kind of activity in the church!), I still use this principle anyway, any time I can. Especially as a Christian, being gracious and kind and helping others “save face” is very important, and anytime we can do this it is a good and positive thing. Coupled with Life Lesson # 1 (“Do unto others”), it is a healthy thing to keep this principle in our lives...and to practice it! In essence, not angrily reprimanding someone in front of others could simply mean --

• not jumping down someone’s throat
• not ridiculing others, and even
• not being the source of someone else’s embarrassment

To be able to do all of these things is very good, because it shows the basic principle of honoring all members of the Body of Christ -- not just those of whom we may be afraid or those whom we are trying to impress. It is even a most important ingredient in a good, healthy marriage...i.e. men: Never make your wife “look bad” in front of others, and certainly never be the source of her embarrassment. And women: The same applies. And, it certainly ought to go without saying: Even in business, as Christians we should never be caught using ridicule or intimidation or manipulation to “get our way” or threaten our employees or co-workers, although I often see these tactics not only in Christian businesses, but even in some of the best churches across our land.

Even though I did not see it practiced in high school, where I was taught this principle; and even though -- in the military -- I saw no evidence whatsoever of this principle, I still believe it to be a Very Important and Valid Life Lesson for me, and hopefully me sharing this can be of some value to you as well. Why have I spent so much time on this topic...? Simply because I have actually seen leaders and ministers (including pastors and even pastor’s wives!) chide, intimidate and even embarrass Christians from the pulpit...during a service! And I am not speaking of one isolated incident. So I know it is a problem that we all need to be aware of and consider. The solution...? Simply: We must never use any authority that we might have to “lord over, threaten or embarrass” other Christians....or anybody, for that matter. And, if someone does need “correction”, please do it in private.

The only exception might be when someone in a church or group gathering brings up some real doctrinal error that causes some real confusion...then you (if you’ve been given the authority by the leadership) or the pastor or some leader might need to address it immediately and openly, not waiting for a private session with the offender. However, this “open confrontation” with the offender must not be in anger, accompanied by shouting or filled with frustration. I say this, because there is an exception to every rule, and there are scriptural precedents for such a thing (1st Corinthians 5:1-6 & Galatians 2:11-14). But...for the most part, not reprimanding and/or ridiculing someone in front of others is a good principle to practice...

This particular lesson came to me as I attended the inaugural year of Christ for the Nations Institute, way back in 1970. To be sure, I learned very many important Truths of Scripture, as well as many Scriptural Principles and some of the very basic tenets of the Christian faith. But one of the most important things I found myself learning was the need to keep one’s feet on solid ground; keeping “balanced”, “grounded” and “settled in Truth” -- without becoming a “spiritual kook”!

There are those -- and I’m sure we’ve all known them or have been around them (and God be merciful to you, if you are one of them!) -- who are so “heavenly-minded” that you cannot carry on a normal conversation with them. Everything always seems to be about their latest dream, vision or revelation; or the “newest thing” that God has shown them, and somehow -- even though they appear to be talking “about” the Lord -- you can’t help but notice how their “sharing” is literally filled with “me”, “my”, “mine” and “I”. The Lord is not the true focus of their words or their hearts.

Several of the teachers during that inaugural year addressed that point, actually using the phrase: “Don’t be so ‘Heavenly Minded’ that you’re no earthly good”, and they all encouraged us to keep “balanced” and as “normal” as possible, for they were well-versed in the way that human nature likes to think just a “little more highly” of itself than it ought. Being around someone who is constantly wanting to “share” their latest dream, vision or revelation can be very taxing. It can also be very “un-edifying”. The whole purpose of Spiritual Truth (any Spiritual truth) is to bless, encourage and edify the Body of Christ, and -- when shared with the proper people at the proper time -- it will be a blessing and edification to those people.

However, when someone (anyone) begins to take the limelight, making something “more” of themselves than they ought, then it is our duty as mature Christians (if we are “mature”) to help that immature and carnal Christian understand the Principle of not being too “heavenly-minded”. By the way...for those who may have wondered about something I said earlier, this Life Lesson “ties in” well with my opening remarks about “keeping many of our deep spiritual truths to ourselves”.

Now please don’t miss the point here...I am not speaking of saints who faithfully keep their focus on the Lord and His Ways; neither am I suggesting that Abraham was “incorrect” or foolish in “looking for a city built by God” (Hebrews 11:10), for he was, after all, being “heavenly-minded” in that regard; nor am I saying we shouldn’t desire the peace and rest of our Ultimate Heavenly Reward. It’s only when we become so “heavenly-minded” as to be of no real earthly value that we can find ourselves in trouble. It is when so-called “spiritual things” drive us and push us and “consume” us that we can find ourselves becoming too “heavenly-minded”.

It’s when we find ourselves “too spiritual” to change our baby’s diapers or to take out the trash or to be friendly to co-workers or neighbors (for we think they are, after all, only “unsaved heathen” and not fit to fellowship with us...right?). It is possible to feel “too spiritual” to do the most mundane of things on this earth -- all because we fancy ourselves as “too good” to do any of these things. And not just these things, but anything that would make us “appear less” than others, because we are truly convinced we are “better”, “more spiritual” and “closer to God” than everyone else. (Dear God, please keep us all from such self-deception.)

Now...let’s take this one step further...if Jesus had gone about declaring Himself the Son of God, demanding that everyone bow and worship Him, then His focus would have been of no earthly good at all. Instead, He “took on Himself the form of a servant, making of Himself no reputation, being made in the likeness of men; and He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:7 & 8). While He most certainly could have “demanded” that everyone recognize Him for Who He was, He nonetheless “humbled” Himself, being obedient to His Father, all the way to Calvary. After His resurrection He was glorified, and He was, indeed, “exalted and given the Name above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord -- all to the glory of God, the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

We cannot be “recognized” or “canonized” or be considered as “great” unless we are---first and foremost---servants of the Lord. It matters not what we “think” ourselves to be or even “declare” ourselves to be; nor does it matter what everyone else may think of us or even declare us to be. What matters is what the Lord Jesus Christ thinks of us. Are we being of any “earthly” value as servants of the Most High God, or have we foolishly exalted ourselves to a height and in a measure that makes us unacceptable in His Eyes, as well as useless to His Body?

When I say “earthly value”, I do not mean using earthly tactics, carnal ways or soulish means to do things. When we see and truly understand the Life of Jesus, as He walked and ministered on this earth, we see the Greatest of Earthly Value...we see Him constantly “going about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him, and because God had anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power” (Acts 10:38). This is true worth, true value, and real Heavenly Good for all men everywhere.

If we could all truly learn how to be sincere & humble servants of the Lord, then there would be no one going about “with their head in heavenly clouds, being of no earthly value”. Let us each do as Jesus did...for do we not, after all, have this “new” slogan all around us: “What Would Jesus Do?” It’s not that “new”, really, for every generation has had its similar catch phrase, because every generation has been at least somewhat aware that we are all---to one degree or another---tempted to be just a “little too heavenly-minded” for our own good. May God be gracious to our hearts, granting us the graceful power to become true “servants” of God, as well as “sons” of God.