Rule of Life

A few months ago, I determined to craft a Rule of Life. I have since arrived at a rule that I am willing to implement. I have borrowed heavily from others who are further along on the journey than I, but I claim this Rule as my own.

ASPIRATIONS:
I commit to live out the Sermon on the Mount as fully as I am able.
Discipline – In a world of whininess and entitlement, I will inculcate the discipline of monks and the courage and toughness of Jesus. I will cultivate physical, mental, and spiritual toughness for the sake of the mission of embodying the kingdom of God. I will embrace sacrifice and suffering as qualities of Jesus.
Prayer – I believe transformation in the world and in myself begins with learning to pray. I will embrace silence, solitude, and the contemplative disciplines.
Love – I seek to love indiscriminately as Jesus taught – love for enemies and “the least of these” especially. I will embrace the poor, marginalized, and unloved and show respect to every human being as one created in God’s image. Hospitality – always being ready to be a welcoming presence – is foundational.
Mission – I exist for the sake of the cause for which Christ died – the kingdom of God. I will live my life in the world for the sake of the reconciliation and healing of woundedness all around me. I am a minister of Shalom. I will embrace the call to leave my comfort zone and be in places of darkness.
Community – I believe God’s mission in the world is to create new community, not just change individuals. Thus, I will learn to live with my brothers and place their needs over my own. I cannot live this life alone.
Joy – I believe seeking the coming-of-the-kingdom every day is the source of the greatest joy, and that my joy is therefore not determined by my circumstances. I will cultivate thankfulness and hope for the future.
Humility – I will be constantly vigilant to ruthlessly rooting out all expressions of religious elitism or superiority in myself. Whatever I do is by the grace of God. At best, I am an “unprofitable servant.”
Trust – Recognizing that fear is often the root of sin and that worry is antithetical to the message of the gospel, I will acknowledge my own dependence and rely upon the good provision of God.
Freedom – As Jesus proclaimed release of the captives, I will train myself to let go of my addictions, which are idols. Whether my attachments are to relationships, things, habits, attitudes, ideas, memories of the past, or dreams for the future, I will release them all. My allegiance is to Christ alone; all else must be abandoned.
COMMITMENTS:
1. I will commit to memory the Sermon on the Mount.
2. I will meet for prayer, confession, and encouragement once a week with other brothers.
3. I will treat everyone with respect as ones created in the image and likeness of God. I will value people over technology.
4. In every situation, I will lay my life down for others by seeking to do acts of service, taking the lowest place, and placing others’ needs and interests above my own.
5. I will cultivate discipline in every aspect of my life. I will not whine. Neither will I speak except what love requires. I will embrace a spirit of self-denial.
6. In the midst of a world driven by unsustainable consumption, unprecedented indulgence, and rampant materialism, I will practice a lifestyle of simplicity and freedom. I will not pursue fads, trends, or the latest gadget. I will be content in having my needs met, and will pay no heed to my wants, which are without end. I will not derive my identity from created things. I will not buy things based on their perceived status, but on their usefulness.
7. I will cultivate the contemplative life of a monk, by practicing silence, solitude, and fasting. Specifically, I commit to fast one day a week and spend time each day in silence before God.
8. I will submit myself to the wisdom of the church as expressed in the holy scriptures and by seeking communal discernment.
9. As Jesus taught, I will be an ambassador of love, peace, and reconciliation, to those who are Jesus followers and to those who are not—especially to those who in our world are “the least of these.”