Do you still check your bank statement each month? With the advent of online banking, people can check on their accounts at any time, and not ever have to look at their statement. But a statement can still be useful in several ways; one of which is that it tells you the amount of deposits and the amount of withdrawals for that month. For most, the number of withdrawals will outpace the number of deposits; but hopefully only in the transaction number and not in the dollar amount.
However, that ratio should be reversed in the Christian life. I'm not talking about money, but deposits of kindness and encouragement into the lives of our neighbors. What would your monthly statement look like if it could be pulled up to see how many deposits versus how many withdrawals you have made this month? Withdrawals could be classified as those times of unkindness or demands made upon others, as when we exact from them what we want and leave them without an impression of Christ.
It would be a good exercise to mentally bring up that statement often to see if changes need to be made. Start with your immediate family. How many deposits/withdrawals have you made in their lives this past week? The success of marriage and family life will, in part, depend upon this ratio. Deposits are not only made with words of kindness, compliments, and encouragement, but also with acts of service. This the what we call, "the golden rule." Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 7:12 NKJV).
It is golden because it puts us in the mindset of Jesus who humbled himself to serve us and everyone. It is not the iron rule of "my way or the highway." Nor is it the silver rule of "do no harm, but also do no good." But the golden rule asks how we would want to be treated if we were in the other person's shoes. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself (Philippians 2:3).
How many deposits has your heavenly Father made in your life? Read the 23rd Psalm for starters. Let his kindness be reflected in your words and deeds. We and those around us will be a lot happier if our statement heavily leans toward the deposit side. Don't hold out on others. Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35b).
Brotherly, Jamie
