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Someone asked Jesus how many times he
should forgive his brother. The person suggested seven times as a
reasonable and generous number. Jesus told him he should forgive
seventy times seven. Jesus reckoned that he should dispense forgiveness
four hundred and ninety times before the well of forgiveness ran dry.
When Jesus dealt with ordinary people, he cut them a great deal of
slack. He was never harsh with the weak and oppressed. He recognized
that most people are prisoners of their past, and more than anything
else, they need love, liberation, and forgiveness.
Jesus scathingly denounced only one group of people. They were the
Pharisees. These folks were specialists in always being right; they
were the religious police. They had a performance-oriented spirituality
and were experts at loading heavy burdens on the backs of other people.
They never cut slack to anyone.
Most people are doing the best they can with the resources they have. I
rarely meet a person who is bad to the bone. Only a few people are
hell-bent for destruction and make it their business to inflict misery
on everyone they meet. I can afford to cut a great deal of slack to
everyone in my life. They need all the help they can get, and so do I.
I will live as if I am a tolerant person. I will cut slack to everyone
in my life.
Copyright © 2013
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How do you know whether you should allow something to gain entrance into
your mind? What standard can you use with one-hundred percent
assurance knowing if you let it into your mind, your life will be
better rather than worse?
The Bible Says, "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is excellent, whatever is
admirable, whatever is worthy of praise, think on these things."
I call these eight items "The Big Eight". They
always make your
life better and never make it worse. They are reliable and
trustworthy guides that keep you from getting mired in the toxic waste
of the twenty-first century.
Let's take a look at "The Big Eight".
1. It's true. It's the truth, the whole truth, and nothing
but the truth. There is no half-truth, distortion, or
misrepresentation of the truth. There is no spin-doctoring or
attempt to mislead.
2. It's noble. It elevates people lifting them up to a
higher level. It helps people live on a higher plane.
3. It's right. It's spot on, just what the doctor ordered,
appropriate, and exactly what needs to be said or done at the present
moment.
4. It's pure. It's unadulterated by the toxic waste of the
twenty-first century. When you put it inside your heart and mind,
you still have a clean mind and a pure heart. You are clean inside
which gives you twenty-twenty spiritual vision so you can see God's hand
of love at work in your life, and you have perfect spiritual hearing so
you can hear God's voice of love.
5. It's lovely. It's the loving thing to think, say, and do.
It fills your heart and mind with God's love and love for other people.
When your heart and mind are full of love, they are exactly the way God
meant for them to be.
6. It's excellent. It requires the best of you. It
leads you away from mediocrity and pushes your mind in the direction of
excellence. You think excellent thoughts which lead to an
excellent life.
7. It's admirable. When you stand back and look at it, it
causes a sense of admiration to well-up inside your heart and mind.
8. It's worthy of praise. You can recommend it to your
family and friends, because it's so worthwhile and good. It's
worthy of your time, effort, and of who you are.
These eight things are your gold standard, and they determine if you
want to have something in your mind. When these types of thoughts
are in your mind, they always make your life better.
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