Comparing Proverbs 1:10-19 to Peterson's third rule... Dear friend, if bad companions tempt you, don’t go along with them. If they say, "Let’s go out and raise some hell. Let’s beat up some old man, mug some old woman. Let’s pick them clean and get them ready for their funerals. We’ll load up on top-quality loot. We’ll haul it home by the truckload. Join us for the time of your life! With us, it’s share and share alike!" Oh, friend, don’t give them a second look; don’t listen to them for a minute. They’re racing to a very bad end, hurrying to ruin everything they lay hands on. Nobody robs a bank with everyone watching, Yet that’s what these people are doing—they’re doing themselves in. When you grab all you can get, that’s what happens: the more you get, the less you are.
Initially, this seemed like a reasonable enough rule to me. I mean, you don’t want to befriend people who have it in for you. Except, then why not simply make that the rule? Avoid people who work against you! In a way, I get it. For example, I’m living where I reside right now almost rent free. This wouldn’t be the case if I weren’t associating with anyone who wanted the best for me. (Of course, if I do eventually become comfortably well-off trading Forex, I’ll attempt to more than return the favor.) But, when you think about it, who really knows what’s best for you? I mean, if I were a little boy who thought he was a girl; instead of helping me get my head straight and figure out why I was denying objective reality, those who wanted the best for me might encourage me to get on puberty blockers, surgically remove parts of my body, and spend the rest of my life on female hormones. Who is to say for sure that this is what would have been best for me? So then, my next thought was that it is a mistake to look to any person as a final authority as to what might be best—that for this kind of insight, one needs to look to God. And the same is true for avoiding those who might conspire against you. According to Psalm 91, God wants to be our shelter, refuge, fortress, shield and buckler. It therefore seemed to me that rather than befriend people who want the best for me, I should befriend people who are thoroughly versed in the wisdom of God. As stated in Proverbs… "For by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory." Except that I don’t necessarily mean befriending people literally. For example, thanks to the internet, I can "visit" people like Dr. Michael L. Brown on almost a daily basis. So I’m more inclined to adopt a rule something like: "Befriend people who have already arrived at your destination." This is whether that destination is spiritual, physical, emotional, psychological, financial, entrepreneurial, intellectual, etc. Again, given where I am now, I would probably never have access to the kind of valuable lessons I’ve learned from the likes of individuals such as Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner, Barbara Corcoran, Daymond John or Marcus Lemonis thanks to television programs like Shark Tank and The Profit. So, starting afresh with Peterson’s list of 12-Rules for Life, I now have… Do what matters. Treat yourself like one of God’s most treasured possessions. Befriend people who already inhabit the world where you're going. Haz lo que importa. Trátese como una de las posesiones más preciadas de Dios. Hazte amigo de personas que ya habitan el mundo al que vas.
This one presented a bit of a challenge for me, and I've spent four days thinking about it. I wanted to incorporate verses having to do with not fearing the thoughts of men, not comparing yourselves among yourselves, and changing from the inside out; and I considered passages much like the following... But, I found nothing satisfying. Then after reading on CompellingTruth.org how God commands holiness and perfection not only in our outward acts and performance, but also demands holy and pure motives from our inner persons—our hearts, I read what I pasted here... Then at last, I had something I was ready to add: Do what matters. Treat yourself as one of the Father’s most treasured possessions. Befriend those who already inhabit your ultimate destination. Never compare yourself to others; rather, be conformed to God's image by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The fifth one is going to be easy. There is really no need to change anything. So, starting afresh with Peterson’s list of 12-Rules for Life, I now have… Do what matters. Treat yourself as one of the Father’s most treasured possessions. Befriend those who already inhabit your ultimate destination. Never compare yourself to others; rather, be conformed to God's image by the power of the Holy Spirit. Train up children in the way they should go, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
No reason to change Peterson's words here. So, starting afresh with Peterson's list of 12-Rules for life, I now have... Do what matters. Treat yourself as one of the Father’s most treasured possessions. Befriend those who already inhabit your ultimate destination. Never compare yourself to others; rather, be conformed to God's image by the power of the Holy Spirit. Train up children in the way they should go, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Get your own house in order before criticizing the world.
How I remember the first half of the list... Add a curve to the numeral 1 to change it into the letter D to remind you to Do what matters. "Treat" and "two" both start with the letter T, so the second rule is Treat yourself as one of the Father's most treasured possessions. Draw a vertical line through the middle of the numeral 3 to turn it into the letter B to remind you to Befriend those who already inhabit your ultimate destination. Knock the numeral four over and add a vertical line to the right side of it to turn it into a capital N so you remember to Never compare yourself to others; rather, be conformed... I have no mnemonic for the fifth one. So, I simply need to remember to Train children in the way they should go, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Replace the numeral 6 with the letter G by writing a capital G that almost looks like a 6 to remind you to Get your own house in order before giving advice to the world. The first half of rule seven, pursue what is meaningful, is mostly already covered by do what matters. So, in thinking about this one, I'm going to focus on not pursuing what is expedient. What immediately comes to mind are verses like... Take up your cross and follow Me. If they persecuted Me, the will persecute you as well. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life... nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come... shall be able to separate us from the love of God. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
Another angle might be along the lines of living with the future in mind... Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.