Imagine a world where everyone lives by the golden rule.
Imagine the peace of knowing that wherever you go, everyone cares for your interests as much as theirs. Being able to trust what people tell you, and not needing to check behind your back.
Imagine the efficiency: never losing you keys, because you don’t need locks. Lawyers, doctors, police, social workers, and politicians could spend much of their time pursuing other interests; and not need sedatives to sleep at night. Tax money wouldn’t be needed to feed war machines. The work world would be a thriving ecosystem of cooperation rather than a competitive food chain.
It wouldn’t be heaven on earth without additional changes, but it would sure be a lot closer.
But imagine being forced to live by the golden rule when you really don’t want to. Trying to look genuine while exuberantly greeting that person who gets on your nerves. Having to look happy as you again let another person take the one thing you wanted more than anything else. It would be like a lead-footed racer in a supercar having to obey the rules of the road to a tee while the road is packed with Sunday drivers in their jalopies.
Living in a world governed by the golden rule would be torture if it was forced. This rule can only be truly obeyed voluntarily. To enjoy living by the golden rule requires the right perspective and the right mindset. To transition from the world that we’re accustomed to into such a world would require a change of mindset and a heart change.
Jesus said that unless a person is born again, they can’t see the Kingdom of God. I think He was implying that without a heart change, Heaven wouldn’t be enjoyable to us. Sure, we’d enjoy the food and scenery. But the social experience would feel foreign and oppressive. When it comes down to it, we like doing what we want to do whether it’s in the best interest of others or not. And we hate being deterred from doing things our way, even when we know that our choices will bring pain and loss in the long run.
I’m so glad that God promises to change our hearts if we ask Him to.
One note about the way God changes our hearts: we may not experience changes the way we anticipate. We often focus on the fruit, such as feelings and actions; while God is focusing in fixing the root issues, such as the motives and core beliefs that eventually produce the fruit. We easily give up because Christianity isn’t working (the way we expect it to).
Let’s remember Isaiah 55:8,9. God’s ways are so much higher than ours that we won’t understand them fully. Often His ways don’t seem very good until hindsight proves that they were the best.
Psalm 119:34 says “Give me understanding and I will keep Your law.” God doesn’t change our hearts the way we change computer programs. He’s not content with having us obey “just because.” Sure, there are times when we need to obey before we understand why. But God’s goal is for us to understand the principles involved and obey out of love.
Sometimes the only way we’ll understand the principles is by experiencing the results of our mistakes. Jesus let Peter walk into the situation in which he would deny Him. God is willing to let us cause Him and ourselves grief and pain – if that’s what it takes for us to understand the principles of His way, His love, and our need of Him.
This post got kind of long – let me sum it up:
– Heaven won’t be Heaven to us unless our hearts are changed
– God changes our hearts by giving us understanding
– God promises to change our hearts if we ask Him to
– We can bank on God’s promise to complete the work that He begins in us (Philippians 1:6)