Opening Scripture Reading: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” — Matthew 7:12
“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” — Luke 6:31
The church and the nation needs healing. We have been through too much bitterness, anger, fear, and division to pretend that everything is fine. Healing will not happen overnight, but healing can begin when we return to the words of Jesus.
Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31 are simple enough for a child to understand, but deep enough to change a nation: treat people the way you would want to be treated. Before we speak, post, vote, judge, accuse, or condemn, we should ask, “Would I want someone to treat me this way?”
Several years ago, I woke from a dream with a strong reminder in my spirit. In the dream, a former ministry partner was speaking about working with broken people and said, “It’s fear that stops us.” Those words stayed with me. Sometimes what we call discernment is really fear. Sometimes what we call holiness is really distance. And sometimes what we call strength is actually a refusal to love broken people with patience.
Change takes time. People do not heal overnight. Churches do not repent overnight. Nations do not mend overnight. But change for the better will never come through hatred, lies, cruelty, or fear. Those things do not produce righteousness.
James 3:14-18 warns us about bitter envy and selfish ambition. It says that kind of wisdom is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. But the wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to listen, full of mercy, full of good fruit, impartial, and sincere.
That means hatred cannot be dressed up as faith. Bitterness cannot be called wisdom. Cruelty cannot be called courage. Lies cannot be called truth. Jesus said in John 8:44 that the devil is the father of lies. So when lies become normal, believers should be the first to resist them.
Hebrews 12:15 tells us to watch carefully so that no root of bitterness springs up and troubles many. Bitterness does not stay small. It spreads. It poisons families, churches, communities, and nations. It can even make religious people sound spiritual while their hearts grow hard.
That is why 2 Timothy 3:5 is such a serious warning. It speaks of people who have a form of godliness but deny its power. In plain words, they look religious on the outside, but they refuse to let God change their hearts on the inside.
Romans 10:2 also warns about having zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. A person can be passionate and still be wrong. A crowd can be loud and still be misled. A movement can use religious words and still not reflect the heart of Christ.
God’s character is not confusion. Psalm 89:14 says righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne, and love and faithfulness go before Him. These are not optional values for people who are called by His name. They are the very foundation of how God rules.
So we must ask ourselves hard questions. If God hates a lying tongue, why do we excuse lies? If God hates hands that shed innocent blood, why are we not equally broken over children dying from violence? If Jesus told us to love our neighbor, why have we become comfortable hating people who think differently than we do?
The church has not been called to control the culture by force. We have been called to be the body of Christ and His witnesses. We change the world by living the gospel, loving people, speaking truth, caring for the broken, defending the innocent, and letting our light shine.
Faith is not just what we say we believe. Faith is how we live. The just shall live by faith. Jesus never promised us a trouble-free life, but He did say, “Take heart, I have overcome the world.” Kingdoms may shake, but God remains righteous, faithful, and true.
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. But hatred is not freedom. Bitterness is not freedom. Fear is not freedom. The freedom of Christ releases us to love, forgive, serve, tell the truth, and do unto others as we would have them do unto us.
If the church and the nation are going to heal, we must start here: stop treating people like enemies to be crushed and start treating them like neighbors to be loved. That does not mean we ignore sin or injustice. It means we confront wrong with the heart of Christ, not the spirit of hatred.
Reflection Question: Am I treating others the way I would want to be treated, or have fear, bitterness, politics, or pride shaped the way I see people?
Prayer: Lord, heal Your church and heal this nation. Search our hearts and remove every root of bitterness. Deliver us from lies, fear, hatred, and false religion. Teach us to walk in Your wisdom, Your righteousness, Your justice, Your mercy, and Your love. Help us treat others the way we want to be treated, and make us true witnesses of Jesus in a broken world. Amen.
Minister A Francine Green I July 2026