Here I Stand - Part 6

We continue our journey talking about core principles. For me, core principle #6 (and I think it's a biggy) is "Christian discipleship in intentional, not accidental." Again, I know that this is not rocket science (I think I heard the collective "duh" from the blogosphere). But, this is an important principle to articulate. It is important because so often we treat our spiritual life in a hit-or-miss, come what may kind of way. And, as often happens, this approach leaves us suprised and disappointed. I don't know why we are surprised. Would we be surprised if we said we were going to run a maration, but prepared ourselves by sitting in front of the TV watching Oprah and Andy Griffith reruns while eating Cheetos and washing it down with a Big Gulp soda? No, we would not be surprised because we know that, not only did we not prepare ourselves for the marathon; we actually did everything we could not to succeed. I am never surprised when they announce the lottery numbers and I don't win - not because of the astronomically long odds associated with winning the lottery, but because I don't buy a lottery ticket. The same is true of our faith. If we are going to deepen our faith, we must exercise those spiritual muscles every now and then. In the Methodist tradition, we say that God has ordained the “means of grace” for this purpose. The means of grace are “outward signs, words, or actions, ordained of God, and appointed for this end, to be ordinary whereby he might convey to men [and women] preventing, justifying, or sanctifying grace.” That's a quote from John Wesley. He talks pretty, doesn't he? Anyway, the regular practice of the means of grace is a fundamental by which we come to know God and discern the stirrings of God’s spirit. They include things like prayer, bible study, small groups, acts of service, acts of mercy, etc. The list is long. Some scriptures that might help illuminate this principle are Romans 8:1-8, Matthew 4:1, Matthew 26:20-29. Christian discipleship in intentional, not accidental. Here I stand.