{"id":233,"date":"2007-11-18T01:01:31","date_gmt":"2007-11-18T01:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2007\/11\/inspiration-from-the-pray-the-gospels-3.html"},"modified":"2007-11-18T01:01:31","modified_gmt":"2007-11-18T01:01:31","slug":"inspiration-from-the-pray-the-gospels-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2007\/11\/inspiration-from-the-pray-the-gospels-3.html","title":{"rendered":"Inspiration from the Pray the Gospels"},"content":{"rendered":"

Excerpt<\/strong>
\n“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.”
\nMatthew 7:12<\/p>\n

Click here to read all of Matthew 7:7-12<\/a><\/p>\n

Prayer<\/strong>
\nThere it is, Lord, the famed Golden Rule, that which is so often quoted, referred to, and named. This is, perhaps more than anything else, the teaching that has given You the moniker of “good teacher,” even among those who are otherwise dismissive of You and Your mission.
\nHow easily I can read right by this teaching! It’s so familiar. Old hat. Yet if I pause and begin to think about the implications of what You have said, I’m flooded with ideas. If I think about how I would like to be treated by my wife, then I have new ways to show my care for her. Ditto with my children, my co-workers, the person who served me in Starbucks, etc. etc.
\nHelp me, dear Lord, to take to heart the simple directive: to treat others as I would like to be treated.
\nQuestions for Reflection<\/strong>
\nIn your life, whom do you need to treat as you would like to be treated?
\nWhat could you do today in response to Jesus’s teaching?
\nA Different Take on the Golden Rule<\/strong>
\nWhen I was about nine years old, my younger brother, Gary, hit me. I didn’t hurt too much, so rather than hitting back, I decided to teach him some good theology. “God doesn’t want you to hit me,” I said.
\n“No, it’s okay,” he answered.
\n“Why do you say that?” I asked.
\n“Do unto others as you would like to do unto them,” he said, confidently.
\nSounds like a budding theologian, doesn’t it? Actually, my brother is a deputy sheriff in Los Angeles County. In the picture below, he’s the second from the right end.
\n
\nThis is my extended family last Thanksgiving. It will be very strange for my wife and children and me to not be with this group on Thanksgiving this year. Too far a drive from Texas! We’ll miss them, that’s for sure. But we’ll also be very grateful for them. Maybe distance will even enhance our appreciation. It’s so easy to take people for granted when you’re with them a lot.
\nPray the Gospels\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>
\nPray the Gospels<\/a><\/em> is one of my two devotional websites. The other is Pray the Psalms<\/a><\/em>. Both sites include a daily Bible reading from either the Gospels or the Psalms, along with a prayer and some additional thoughts or questions for reflection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Excerpt “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.” Matthew 7:12 Click here to read all of Matthew 7:7-12 Prayer There it is, Lord, the famed Golden Rule, that which is so often quoted, referred to, and named. This is, perhaps more…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sunday-inspiration"],"yoast_head":"\nInspiration from the Pray the Gospels - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2007\/11\/inspiration-from-the-pray-the-gospels-3.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Inspiration from the Pray the Gospels - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Excerpt “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.” Matthew 7:12 Click here to read all of Matthew 7:7-12 Prayer There it is, Lord, the famed Golden Rule, that which is so often quoted, referred to, and named. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}