Principles vs. Methods

Methods are many, principles few

Methods often change

Principles never do...

As I visit with church leaders and look at churches, it seems like one of the hardest things for a church to overcome is broken systems and structures. The reason, I believe, is that we get stuck on our methods. Methods (our ways of doing things) are familiar; therefore, they are the path of least resistance for us. Methods are comfortable for our leaders because that's the way they've always done it. In short, we mistake methods for principles. At some point in history (hopefully) there was a principle that caused someone in a church to implement a method. Somewhere along the way, though, the church leaders forgot the principle but kept the method. That's why it's so hard to kill so many sacred cows that roam the halls of our churches.

What would it look like if your church took a hard look at WHY you do things (principle) before considering HOW you do it (method)?

Example:

Bible Drill vs. AWANA vs. insert children's Bible memory fad here: ______

Principle - It's important for kids to meditate on God's Word.

Method - the program or process that best carries out the principle in a given context.

The methods aren't necessarily right or wrong, but consider the timeless principle and accept that methods come and go over time.

God Bless the Child

My son, James, teaches me so many lessons. The other day, he asked Brandie what her favorite verse in the New Testament book of James was. After she answered he told her his favorite: James 1:1, "James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." His reason: "Because that's what I want to be."

The Christ-life really should reduce to that, shouldn't it? I tend to complicate things, but James sees right to the point.

If I saw myself as a slave of God, totally at His service, how would my actions be different today?

Blue Train

I have been on a health/exercise kick for the last 8 months. Well, I was on a health/exercise kick through the spring and then took a week ...I mean a month...I mean a season off this summer. I didn't fall off the wagon completely. I guess you could say I "dabbled." I hit the gym every once in a while but I wasn't training like I had been. I had made so much progress during the spring but as I stopped training I just plateaued. And I certainly didn't feel too healthy.

I am back into a good exercise schedule now and I feel so much better. But I realize that it requires discipline and a plan. I know that I can be healthier by training myself to be healthy. I think I see some parallels with my spiritual life.

Paul encourages his young friend, Timothy in the Bible by saying, "Train yourself to be godly" (1 Timothy 4:7). That's good advice. I cannot just be "godly" just like I cannot just be "healthy." I have to train. There have been times in my life when I have just "dabbled" in spiritual exercise. I don't seem to make much progress in my behavior when I have dabbled. I am not really more loving. I can be very selfish and prideful when I don't train to be godly. But when I have a plan for spiritual development I seem to make more progress. I am nicer to my kids. I treat Brandie like she deserves to be treated. I am more loving, more forgiving, more grace-giving. I find myself putting others first more often. But none of those behaviors happens unless I am training myself to be godly.

Daily spiritual exercise - prayer, a Scripture diet - are critical to becoming godly. What's your training plan? What exercises would you share with me that help you be more like Jesus?