Rule of Life: Abiding

Part 2 | Return to Developing a Rule of Life

Through practices (also known as spiritual disciplines or sacred rhythms) from the life and teachings of Jesus, we create space in our lives for the Spirit and truth of God to transform us into people of love, not by “trying really hard, but by training really hard.” What practices do you utilize to “abide in the vine”? To turn your attention to God all through your day, and index your heart’s affection toward receiving and giving his love?

Daily examples

Kneeling prayer three times a day | The world is made of words. Even small, repeated words have power. Regular, carefully placed prayer is one of the keystone habits of spiritual formation. We will always wake up to some kind of prayer that makes the world about us, so we can use the words of prayer to frame each part of our day in love.

Scripture before phone | Refusing to check the phone until after reading a passage of Scripture is a way of replacing the question “what do I need to do today?” with a better one: “who am I, and who am I becoming?” We have no stable identity outside of Jesus. Daily immersion in Scripture resists the anxiety of emails, the anger of the news, and the envy of social media. Instead, it forms us daily in our true identity as children of the King, dearly loved.

Scripture reading | There are many ways to study Scripture. One method we like to use is the PROAPT Bible Study Method, which you can apply to any Scripture you are reading

Weekly examples

Sabbath | In a culture where busyness is a status symbol, observing the Sabbath teaches us that God sustains the world and that we don’t. To make a countercultural embrace of our limitations, we stop our usual work for one day of rest. Sabbath is a gospel practice because it reminds us that the world doesn’t hang on what we can accomplish, but rather on what God has accomplished for us. 

Fasting | We constantly seek to fill our emptiness with food and other comforts. We ignore our soul and our neighbor’s needs by medicating with food and drink. Regular fasting exposes who we really are, reminds us how broken the world is, and draws our eyes to how Jesus is redeeming all things.

Silence + Solitude | The practice of solitude involves scheduling enough uninterrupted time in a distraction-free environment that you experience isolation and are alone with God. Solitude is a “container discipline” for the practice of other spiritual disciplines.

Recommended baseline practice | Commit to daily quiet time away from your phone (ideally upon waking), a weekly Sabbath, and church on Sunday.
If you’re new to this practice, we recommend you start with ten minutes a day, before using your phone, to read a Psalm and notice God’s “withness”, and gather with your church on Sunday.

Reflection Questions

• What practices make up your current rule of life (official or unofficial) regarding abiding ? 

• What specific practices would you like to add in, cut out, or change?

• What are some things that make it difficult to follow through with these practices?

Fill out the chart below with your small, actionable goals for this upcoming month.

Additional Resources

Be With Jesus | Practicing the Way Vision Series E2 podcast by John Mark Comer

Part 2 | Return to Developing a Rule of Life