In Session 07 of the Practicing the Way Reading Reflection Guide we’re encouraged to create a rough draft of a Rule of Life. If you’re hearing this term for the first time, you might be turned off by the word “rule.” However, in this case, the meaning is different from a list of do’s and don’ts. A Rule of Life gives us the structure to live this truth: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2, NIV)
Communities of believers began formalizing a written Rule of Life starting around 300 hundred years after Christ’s birth. If you’ve been walking with Jesus, it’s likely you’re already practicing spiritual disciplines that make up a good Rule of Life. Pastor Pete Scezzero explains, “A Rule of Life, very simply, is an intentional, conscious plan to keep God at the center of everything we do. It provides guidelines to help us continually remember God as the Source of our lives. It includes our unique combination of spiritual practices that provide structure and direction for us to intentionally pay attention and remember God in everything we do. The starting point and foundation of any Rule is a desire to be with God and to love him.”1
The word “rule” comes from the Greek for “trellis”– the structure that enables a grapevine to be lifted off the ground, to grow upward, and to become more fruitful. Similarly, a Rule of Life gives structure to our spiritual formation and creates ongoing opportunities for us to be with Jesus as well as to become like Him and to do as He did. It’s a plan that intentionally forms us, a bit like the vine pictured here:
When we don’t prioritize following rhythms that keep us closely connected to God, our default is counter-formation by the world. We might end up looking a bit more like the tree pictured below. It’s meant to grow upwards, but the continual force of the ocean breeze pushes it sideways. Similarly, the incessant force of worldly influences deforms us if we’re not practicing spiritual disciplines deliberately.
So, with all that we’ve learned about formation it’s time to get practical with crafting a Rule of Life. The Practicing the Way book and Reading Reflection Guide both include blank charts you can use to brainstorm. If you prefer, there is also a digital Rule of Life Builder that provides more flexibility on the Practicing the Way website (link below).
To be honest, these charts were a total turn off to me when I first read the book two years ago. I saw them as a checklist of tasks to complete and assumed I needed to have every slot filled with all nine practices. However, as I re-read the book recently, my resistance faded. I realized they provide an organized plan for intentional and ongoing apprenticeship to Jesus. (Every box won’t be filled, it’s a graphic organizer to hold space for the practices you’re choosing—like putting an appointment on your calendar.)
More importantly, I now understand that crafting a Rule of Life is a powerful tool for building God’s kingdom on earth, one person at a time. It is an act of resistance against the ugliness of our world because it chooses the beauty of life apprenticing under Jesus instead. Done with others, it creates a community of people who stand apart from the world as witnesses to God’s goodness. Practicing a Rule of Life enables us to be:
- People of rest in a culture of hurry and exhaustion through the practice of Sabbath.
- People of peace and quiet in a culture of anxiety and noise, through the practice of solitude.
- People of communion with God in a culture of distraction and escapism through the practice of prayer.
- People of love and depth in a culture of individualism and superficiality through the practice of community.
- People of faithfulness to biblical truth in a culture of ideological compromise through the practice of Scripture reading.
- People of holiness in a culture of indulgence and immorality through the practice of fasting.
- People of contentment in a culture of consumerism through the practice of generosity.
- People of justice, mercy, and reconciliation in a culture of injustice and division through the practice of service.
- People of hospitality in a culture of hostility through the practice of witness.2
Pete Scezzero asserts: “Nurturing a growing spirituality with depth in our present-day culture will require a thoughtful, conscious, intentional plan for our spiritual lives.”3 If the brokenness of the world troubles you, crafting a Rule of Life is a simple but powerful way to move toward peace and wholeness. The choices we make to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do as He did bring light, hope, and truth into our lives and the lives of everyone we encounter.
As you prayerfully consider crafting your Rule of Life, approach the practices as food at a buffet table: try a little bit of everything, and go back for seconds on the ones that resonate most with you. You don’t need a heaping plate of all nine all the time, but optimal growth occurs when you have a good variety. Be sure to include whatever practices you’re already doing, then consider adding one new one. Choose a healthy balance and stay flexible.
In addition to John Mark Comer’s Practicing the Way book, there are many resources available to help you understand what a Rule of Life is and how to craft one. Here are few to consider:
-Watch my pre-recorded teaching: “Session 7 Crafting a Rule of Life.” Click here to find it.
-Explore the resources available at practicingtheway.org. Access the Rule of Life Builder and/or explore each of the nine practices in depth four sessions at a time (you’ll need to create a free account to begin).
-Listen to the Rule of Life Podcast that has multiple episodes over nine seasons. (Each season focuses on one of the nine practices.) Scroll through the episodes on Apple podcasts or on the Practicing The Way YouTube channel by clicking here.
-Read these books:
God in My Everything by Ken Shigamatsu
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Pete Scezzero (chapter 8 is specifically about Rule of Life). (Note, Scezzero gives a brief history of its origins and references other aspects that are healthy parts of a Rule of Life such as play & recreation, care for our physical bodies, and emotional health.)
*This post is part of a series based on Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer and weekly practices described in the eight-session study guide. Order your copy of Practicing the Way using this link or buy it anywhere books are sold.
If you’d like a digital PDF to download, please reply in the comments.
If you’re participating in a group in person at CPC Danville, copies of the Reading Reflection Guide are available at Focused Living AM and PM and in the church office.
Was this forwarded to you? Click here to submit your e-mail and subscribe. You’ll receive future posts automatically in your inbox.
- Pete Scezzero, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Zondervan Books, 2014, 190.
- Adapted from John Mark Comer, Practicing the Way, Waterbrook Press 2024, 225.
- Pete Scezzero, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Zondervan Books, 2014, 191.