Resolved some more...

One of the themes that I pounded over and over again during my last few years as a pastor at Randall was being deliberate about how you live as a Christian.  I really have not lost my passion for this principle, so with that in mind, I want to offer a few more specifics for 2012:

1) Read Scripture everyday and intercede for my prayer team on a regular basis.

2) Memorize the following songs:

Come Thou Fount
To God Be the Glory
In Christ Alone
Be Thou My Vision'
Blessed Be Thy Name
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

3) Read the following books:

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy (Metaxas)
Finding God in the Shack: Seeking Truth in a Story of Evil and Redemption (Olson)
There Is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind (Flew)
Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview (Moreland & Craig)
Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength (Lewis)
Patrick Henry (Tyler)
Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions (Koukl)
One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Live (Voskamp)
Nicholas Nickleby (Dickens)
Paradise Lost (Milton)
I Once Was Lost: What Postmodern Skeptics Taught Us About Their Path to Jesus (Evert)

4) Make a running list of things for which I am thankful to God.

5) Make use of every opportunity that is afforded to me to speak to others about Jesus.

Will you join me in such deliberateness?

Resolved...

RULE OF FAITH

Paul J Decker

1 January 2012

Resolved, in the understanding that I am subject to the frailty of man, and that I am fully dependent on God, I ask for His grace to enable me to be deliberate and keep the following rules of faith for the glory of God. 

I will be devoted to God (Acts 2.42).

I will begin each day thinking about God, using the opportunity to sing, pray and meditate on God’s goodness and grace.

I will be a man of prayer in recognition I am a man of dependence.

I will humbly confess my sin each day in the acknowledgment of my need of His mercy (“Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner”).

I will keep a journal of prayers, so to thoughtfully and carefully express my heart.

I will habitually intercede for others, including my family, fellow missionaries, discipleship relationships, and supporters.

I will live all day for the Lord in the recognition He is interested and involved in each moment.

I will be a good husband to my dearest friend, Dondra.  I commit to work toward loving her according to the standard of Christ loving the church, who was willing to serve and die for her.  I will be a good listener, companion and friend.

I will be a good father to my dear children, James, Grace, Elizabeth and Joel, seeking to be a good example of a man that loves God and one who earnestly desires to live a Christlike life.  I will love their mother knowing this example will give them the best opportunity to have functional, good and blessed marriages.

I will be a good father-in-law to my daughter-in-love, Natalie.  I will have respect for their union and the priority she has in JJ’s life.  I will not interfere.  I will advise when advice is asked for. I will apply these same principles for my future son-in-law, Joseph Santiso.

I will be a strong grandfather for my first grandson, Xavier Decker; looking to fulfill his physical, emotional, and spiritual needs as best as I can.

I will grow in my knowledge of the Word of God; I will study so that I will know God better; I will study so that I may explain God’s Word accurately to those I teach and disciple.

I will be a maker of disciples, for doing so is a blessed responsibility, to share in the multiplication of the kingdom, one person at a time.

I will look to connect people with Jesus, sharing the good news about God’s love for us.  I will pray for opportunities and discernment to go with them.  I will not back down from “placing a pebble in a person’s shoe.”

I will be a counselor; I will give speak into the lives of people that seek direction in regard to their spiritual lives, relationships (especially marital), and matters of depression.  I will look to guide counseling situations toward spiritual formation, using spiritual growth plans when appropriate.

I will be a spiritual mentor, contributing the spiritual formation of those God has given me to serve.  I will help each person focus on their personal relationship with God, a growing understanding of God’s Word, and how we are to contribute to the growth of God’s Kingdom.

I will be a servant, in the recognition that my days for leadership have waned; I will gladly take second place so to build those who are called to lead.

I will be a communicator of grace, in order to bring balance to my prophetic, exhorter role.  Law and grace are perfect partners.

I will be a student, actively looking to sharpen my skill as a campus minister, pastor, servant, teacher, apologist, and counselor.

I will be a student of the world by being a constant “reader” by reading secular and Christian magazines; I will read fiction in order to identify and enjoy the meta-narrative (fantasy, humor, mystery and best sellers) and non-fiction (theology, history, and biography).

I will be a student of the world by watching film, with the understanding that the majority of students develop worldviews that are influenced by the entertainment industry; I will watch film, not primarily to be entertained, but to identify themes that will be helpful in ministry situations.

I will be a weekly giver to the Lord’s work; I will give no less than ten per cent of my gross income.

I will slow down, finding opportunities of rest both for my mind and body; I will learn to create “margin” in my life so to be able to appropriately handle stress.

I will be counseled; I will not pretend to go this alone, but rather be humbly dependent on those that can guide me toward Christlikeness; I will not pretend to have all the answers, but rather, listen intently to those who are godly and have the spiritual gifts of wisdom and discernment.

I will be disciplined in what I allow my eyes to see, in the understanding that a lack of discipline will be an open gateway to the sin of lust; I will not allow myself to be careless in the use of the internet; I will not give “second looks”; when I am communicating with women, I will look into their face and eyes.

I will be disciplined in my choices of entertainment, ever watchful for stories of justice, mercy, love and grace; I will only watch television deliberately, not just to pass the time.

I will trust in God, even when my circumstances seem unjust or dark; I will not lean on my own understanding; I will not panic if I am not feeling well; rather I will take courage in the fact that God finishes the work that He starts (Proverbs 3.5-6; Philippians 1.6).

I will not give in to fear or be overcome with dread; instead I will be a true person of hope, trusting that “all things will work together for good for those that love Him…” (Romans 8.28).

I will not be a person of anger; I will not insist on my own way; I will not give into hate.  I will be a person under the gracious control of the Holy Spirit.

I will be careful with my speech; I will not be so careless just to say what is on my mind; rather I will look to build others in the name of Christ.

I will not be a person of gossip; I will not allow myself to listen to inappropriate words that are critical of others; I will not repeat critical words; I will direct those that speak such words to speak directly to the other person, following the instruction of Matthew 18, I will speak only good and/or encouraging words, or just be quiet.

I will tell the truth, always.

I will be a person of humility, not seeking my own interests, but the interests of others before my own; I will wait for the Lord to issue honor and praise for me when the time is right.

I will be a person of grace; I will not be harsh; instead, I will look to show kindness and mercy in a spirit of gentleness in all relationships, but especially with those that try my patience.

I will be a person of good humor, using the wit God has given me to bring joy, encouragement, and peace to relationships; I will use humor to bring relief to tense situations; I will not use humor in such a way that it brings attention to me or as a distraction to the gospel.

I will forgive everybody…period.

I will let go of grudges and actively practice forgiveness; I will not retaliate; I will not give in to bitterness; I will speak well of situations and people where I have felt wronged, and always pray for them.  I will actively look for opportunities to express love.  I will trust God to make things right in His time and according to His ways.

I will be ready for change.  I will accept the changes God desires to make in me so that I will ever be increasing in conforming into Christlikeness and the image of God.

I will persevere; I will follow the path God has given, moment by moment, and not give in to the temptation to give up in the face of conflict and criticism.

I will courageously and boldly stand for Christ, for He has stood for me.

I will end each day thinking about God, in the appreciation that He has brought me through another day.

I will review this Rule of Faith frequently both as a reminder to those matters to which I am committed and as an opportunity to commit toward more Christlikeness.