Three Simple Rules: A Daily Routine to Build Our Spiritual Core

Have you ever wondered why we're called Methodists?  Much like the term Christian, it began as a derogatory reference to John Wesley and his "Bible thumping" buddies at Oxford.  It seems Mr. Wesley had lots of methodical rules for the small groups (bands, classes, etc.) that formed all over England and, later, in the United States.  The rules could get quite involved at times, with a whole series of questions that participants needed to answer each time they met.  However, when he summarized things, he boiled them down to three essential rules.  They are:

1)    Do no harm;

2)    Do all the good you can; and

3)    Attend the ordinances of God—that you might stay in love with God.

 The Three Simple Rules work together to build our spiritual core.

Following these rules provides a good daily routine to strengthen our spiritual core.  They train us to be able to do what needs doing when it needs to be done—which is a good definition of a disciplined person.  They are simple rules—just like a plank is a simple exercise.  We can recite them from  memory at a very young age.  But, like the plank exercise, the challenge comes as we try to “hold our position” for increasing amounts of time, as in over the course of a lifetime.  Wesley spoke of "moving on toward perfection."  While we don't achieve the goal on this side of eternity, he honestly thought a daily regimen of these three simple rules could help us make significant progress—and along the way, Methodists could make a positive impact on society for the common good of all.  

Wesley’s third rule contains what I think of as the foundation for the other two: attending the ordinances of God.  

We could use the terms spiritual practices or spiritual disciplines interchangeably with ordinances of God.  These are things within our power to do that allow us to tap into a Power beyond ourselves.  Christ-followers practice activities like prayer, fasting, study, worship, and service, to “stay in love with God,” or to stay connected to God.  In fact, many things we do in life can function as ordinances of God.  The key is not the activity itself, but that the activity helps us create space in our life for God to act, with the result being that we are drawn closer to God.