Rule of Life

This is a clip of me sharing my “Rule of Life” with Leadership Transformations, Inc. To borrow a definition from the Pierce Center for Disciple Building based in Gordon-Conwell, a “Rule of Life” is simply “a holistic description of the Spirit-empowered rhythms and relationships that create, redeem, sustain, and transform [your] life.” It is a reflection on one’s roles, gifts, desires, vision, and mission, and involves thinking about how one can steward his or her trust (relationships), temple (body), treasure (money), and/or talent (gifts). While we must be careful not to be legalistic in our approach to spiritual formation, it is helpful to remember that “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action. Grace, you know, does not just have to do with forgiveness of sins alone” (Dallas Willard, The Great Omission, p. 61). In fact, everyone observes certain “rules” in life, doing morning devotions, giving thanks before meals, or saying bedtime prayers. Such a regula, or a guiding principle, is essential for ministers for whom myriad responsibilities and opportunities vie for attention. Faithfulness in life is a prerequisite for fruitfulness in ministry, and one cannot care for others’ souls while neglecting his or her own.

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