This section of the Sermon on the Mount is all about giving and receiving, and it concludes with an exhortation to remember the Golden Rule. I just noticed this morning that our reason for doing so is that the Father embodies the Golden Rule. The Father does as He would be done by.
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matt. 7:7-12).
We don’t need to worry about the fact that Father is in a unique position and can never be “done by” in anything. The Incarnation means that He fully understands what it means to be in our place. It means that He has done what He is calling us to do.
The Father gives good things to those who ask. Therefore we should do as we would be done by. The Father puts Himself in the shoes of others, which is why we should do the same. In the midst of affliction, He is giving us what would be perfect for Him to receive were He in our position. So in following the Golden Rule, as in all things, we are imitating our Father in Heaven, who is perfect (Matt. 5:48).