Posts Tagged ‘Foundational Living’

‘Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out by religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.’ Matthew 11:28-30 T.M.B.

Wow! That’s the sort of guy that I want to hang around. No pressure. No unrealistic expectations. No demands. No bindings. Just an invitation to come into a place of recovery, for learning and for growing.

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‘[A wise person] acts without claiming the results as his; he achieves his merit and does not rest (arrogantly) in it:- he does not wish to display his superiority.’ - Lao Tzu

Humility is constantly under attack from the hordes called pride and ambition. At times it is under siege, completely surrounded, and then at other times an ambush is set in place to overthrow the fragility of humility.

And why is it so fragile? Because it refuses to promote itself. It discards self pompous elevation. It chooses to celebrate the efforts of the team rather than to receive the accolades of the individual.

It finds it uncomfortable to stand in line to receive the outpouring of awards or medals. It would rather work quietly in the background in a supportive role, and let others receive the glory. And it is because of that fragility that it needs to be handled with great care.

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I was spending some time the other night reading my favourite book and came across ‘The Thirty Precepts Of The Sages’ found between Proverbs 22:17 and Proverbs 24:22.

A sage is a mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics who is renowned for profound wisdom. And precepts are principles or rules of personal conduct.

So here are thirty powerful principles for you to consider…

1. Don’t walk on the poor.
2. Don’t hang out with angry people.
3. Don’t gamble.
4. Don’t mess with ancestral boundary lines.
5. Observe good people good at their work.
6. Mind your manners when you dine with influential people.
7. Don’t chase riches.
8. Don’t accept meals from tightwads.
9. Don’t bother talking sense to fools.
10. Don’t cheat orphans out of their property.
11. Give yourself to disciplined instruction and open your ears to tested knowledge.
12. Spank your children.
13. Wise children make for happy parents.
14. Don’t envy careless rebels, but rather soak yourself in the fear of God.
15. Don’t drink or eat too much.
16. Listen to your father, care for your mother and buy wisdom, education and insight.
17. Avoid whores.
18. Avoid the drink.
19. Don’t envy bad people.
20. Use wisdom, understanding and knowledge to build your house.

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There is an abiding principle that should form the foundation of our lives as we traverse the years upon planet earth.

And here it is: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

And here is my expansion and application of that powerful principle…

It’s about showing respect.

It’s about keeping your word.

It’s about pursuing excellence in all that you do.

It’s about taking the time to listen.

It’s about being a giver more than a receiver.

It’s about thinking the best of others.

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Words in the mouth of the wise are as seeds, that if planted correctly will yield bountiful crops in those same lives in the next one, two, five or even ten years.

But the words of the unwise will do exactly the same. I have actually overheard two particular people who have said such things as, ‘I will not live to an old age’, and another ‘If I ever lose my wealth there will be nothing for me to live for.’ Those two alone are already dead.

Well the good book states that ‘death and life are in the power of the tongue.’ And most people tend to underestimate the power of the words that they speak.

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