I suspect this world actually serves primarily as a training ground for the next. If true, then living simply for the here and now might very well amount to significantly more than just the biggest mistake of one's life. Moreover, eternity is going to last a whole lot longer than any amount of time one spends in this realm, so that whatever state we are in at present is not nearly as important as the state in which we're going to find ourselves then. With these two thoughts in mind, adopting the above-described broader view of reality is probably among the wisest decisions any individual can make. For by doing so, s/he is much more likely to live in accordance with that which will lead to his or her ultimate good. 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 children in the way they should go, raising them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Get your own house in order before offering advice to the world. Live in light of eternity. (I'll remember this seventh rule by turning the numeral 7 upside down to convert it into a capital "L.")
There's nothing to change or add here. According to Craig Keener, during the period when New Testament events were taking place, people swore by all sorts of things other than God to testify that their word was true. They reasoned that if they broke their oath based on any of these lesser things, at least they were not bringing God’s name into disrepute. Things got so bad that it eventually became necessary for rabbis to decide which oaths were completely binding. In the 5th chapter of Matthew, arguing the point in part from Isaiah 66:1 (i.e., heaven is God’s throne and earth is his footstool) the Messiah taught that everything by which one could swear is ultimately God’s, and demanded that people simply be as good as their word. I thought about using that text: “Be as good as your word,” not to mention “Do not bear false witness.” But, in the end, “Tell the truth,” probably says it best. 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 children in the way they should go, raising them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Get your own house in order before offering advice to the world. Live in light of eternity. Be truthful. To remember this one, I'll imagine dividing the numeral 8 in half using a vertical line so that the resulting right half of the image forms a capital letter "B."
I realized the intellect of Peterson when he kept on mentioning he studied Jung for years. Anyone who wants to understand consciousness, how humans think.. as a collective and individualistic should study Jung's material.
My college major was psychology, way back in the day, so I don't remember anything at all about Jung except that my lasting impression is that he was kind of cool. His theories I thought were more-or-less reasonable. On the other hand, I thought Freud was (half way) out of his freakin' mind—not to mention Masters and Johnson.
I'm just going to use James 1:19 straight up: 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 children in the way they should go, raising them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Get your own house in order before offering advice to the world. Live in light of eternity. Be truthful. Be quick to hear and slow to speak. In fact... I'm even going to finish it with Peterson's exact words: Be quick to hear and slow to speak, assuming the person you are listening to might know something you don't
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 children in the way they should go, raising them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Get your own house in order before offering advice to the world. Live in light of eternity. Be truthful. Be quick to hear and slow to speak, assuming the person you are listening to might know something you don't. Tame your tongue, so you never stumble in what you say. Let kids be kids. Be filled with the Spirit, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord, Yeshua Hamashiach.
I've modified Jordan Peterson's 12 Rules for Life to fit my own world view and almost have the entire list memorized, so now I want to get started memorizing it in (Google) Spanish. Haz lo que importa. Trátese como una de las posesiones más preciadas del Padre. Hazte amigo de aquellos que ya habitan en tu destino final. Nunca te compares con los demás. Más bien, conviértase en la imagen de Dios por el poder del Espíritu Santo. Enseñe a los niños en el camino que deben seguir, criándolos en la disciplina y amonestación del Señor. Pon tu propia casa en orden antes de ofrecer consejos al mundo. Viva a la luz de la eternidad. Sea sincero. Sea rápido para escuchar y lento para hablar, asumiendo que la persona a la que está escuchando pueda saber algo que usted no. Domina tu lengua para que nunca te tropieces con lo que dices. Deje que los niños sean niños. Sed llenos del Espíritu, cantando y cantando al Señor con el corazón, dando gracias siempre y por todo a Dios Padre en el nombre de nuestro Señor, Yeshua Hamashiach.