The Freedom of Having a Rule of Life

Today on the blog and podcast we’re going to be looking at the freedom of having a rule of life.

In church circles, legalism is one of those things we fight against. And rightly so. Legalism is about obeying laws to earn righteousness, rather than receiving righteousness as a gift from God. 

What is a rule of life?

In our zeal to steer away from legalism, we often discard the importance of certain spiritual practices in our apprenticeship to Jesus. 

These practices are not Law, handed down to us externally, rather, they are commitments that help us position ourselves to receive God’s love and grace.

John Mark Comer defines rules of life as “a set of practices and relational rhythms both scheduled and spontaneous that create space to receive (love from God) and give love (back to God and others)”.

Interestingly, the word rule comes from  from late Latin regulare, from Latin regula ‘straight stick’.

Some have associated the word with the trellis that supports the vine. For the vine to bear fruit that remains, it needs a trellis – a structure to lift it up off the ground, to create space to grow and mature, and point it in a certain direction. When vines are left to grow without trellises, they are more vulnerable to predators and to disease. 

As those who desire to abide in Jesus and bear much fruit, we too need a trellis, a support structure that will create space for a life of abiding with Him.

Rules of life for Christian mamas

In this series on the blog and podcast, we’re going to be exploring several practices that will help us as mothers to position ourselves to receive God’s love. And then to give that love back to God and others.

The rules of life we’re going to explore are:

• seeking the secret place with God (also known as silence and solitude)
• embracing the moment
• simple living
• working in surrender
• resting in freedom

While we’re going to be exploring these general practices, the practical ways we will carry out these rules of life will vary depending on our particular circumstances, gifts, and personalities.

Remember, we have been set free from Law! We are under God’s grace, abundant and free.

And because we’re free, we can position ourselves to receive all that God wants to give us so that we bear fruit. Fruit that lasts forever.