Ingredients for Kingdom living
There is a wealth of wisdom in the Christian tradition, and people have spoken about healthy patterns of a graced life in many ways. Often these have been pulled together in what has been called a rule of life. Today some refer to personal discipleship plans. Whatever we call them, they are about identifying the things that nurture our growth into mature human beings in the image of Christ, reflecting the love of God, and developing the life of the Spirit.
When people look at how they might improve their physical health, most of the advice they receive is about making small changes in daily life, usually in both diet and exercise. If you’ve ever visited a gym, you will know that there are a range of different machines to build up different muscle groups.
You might see the things we suggest here, culled from scripture and our church’s long tradition of practice, as either some of the ingredients for a healthy diet, or a selection of exercise machines for different spiritual muscle groups. Select what you need to develop the kind of spiritually healthy habits that help you receive God’s grace, and share God’s love.
We have organised these into three groups. Two are identified with Jesus’s summary of the Law. “Love God” and “Love your neighbour as yourself”. The first focuses on prayer, worship and spirituality; the second on our engagement with community, work and society. Sandwiched between these Old Testament commandments Jesus quotes is his “new commandment” from John’s gospel: “Love one another”. This section focuses on how we build up the life of the church.
Dip into these and the resources associated with them to help you reflect on what might help you grow in God’s love and grace. There is a page for each love.
