Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:7-11

This is a verse I have read many times, if you are a follower of Jesus you have probably read it a lot as well. It’s a verse that both comforts and challenges me to have faith. It calls me to believe for more than what I am seeing currently.

However, recently I realised that I neglected to read what comes straight after it. As I was reading it today it jumped out and hit me. It says this;

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

It doesn’t take a theologian or an English graduate to realise that when a verse starts with ‘so’ it is referring to whatever has been said before it. No one starts a sentence with ‘so’ unless they mean it to relate to something that they had previously said which will change everything else that is coming.

Previous to the ‘so’ we heard that when we ask we will receive, we will seek and we will find etc. We are reminded of the goodness of God and how He loves to give good gifts to His children.

Therefore when the next verse tells us in everything to do the same to others that has been done to us, it is showing us that because the Father gives us good gifts and that He is always ready to bless us, and be found by us, we must do the same to others. We can be generous because we have received generosity, we can be kind because we have received kindness. It should be part of who we are to others because we have received it first.

So what? So an awful lot!

I need to remember that ‘so’ as I go about my day today!