Seven Life Principles

The following is a letter I wrote to my cousin, who is completing the Walk to Emmaus weekend retreat:

I just want to begin by saying I’m very proud of you, cousin-in-law. It so good to see men who are not willing to settle for the status quo or willing to just settle in with your present spiritual level. You want more. That is similar to what Paul said in Phil 3:12-14. “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³ Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  So I encourage you to strive on. May God use this Emmaus Road experience to move you on further in this cause.

As you continue on this journey, I want to encourage you in seven areas or principles. Principles that I believe are crucial to our lives, our wives, our children, and any area where God has given you influence. I strongly believe you and I can’t lead others where we ourselves have not been, we cannot give what we don’t have and we can’t restore if we ourselves have not been restored to God in our salvation or sanctification.  Self-leadership is primary before we can lead others effectively. You know this, so I hope these seven areas will be an encouragement and/or challenge for you.

The first is to walk with God, constantly – daily, hourly, every minute.  Seek God continually; His mercies are new EVERY morning.  You should aim for a fresh walk with God each day while on this earth.  This will help you live out your faith abundantly as you seek Him in all things.  Psalm 1:2  describes a man who seeks after God:  “… but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. Or Josh 1:9, “This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success.” When will we believe God at His word?

Second, always keep an eternal perspective. I make it a point to remind my family on a regular basis what Jonathan Edwards says, “Life is short, death is certain, and eternity is long.”  We are to always remind ourselves and those we love that we are just passing through, this is not our home. We’re citizens of another land - a heavenly one.  We live in a world where earthly things confuse our heavenly minds. Take a look at these illustrations.

o   Illustration

·      We see unseen things (2 Cor. 4:18)

·      We conquer by yielding (Rom. 6:16-18)

·      We find rest under a yoke (Mt. 11:28-30)

·      We reign by serving (Mark 10:42-44)

·      We are made great by becoming little (Luke 9:48) 

·      We are exalted by being humble (Mt. 23:12)

·      We become wise by being fools for Christ’s sake (1 Cor. 1:20, 21)

·      We are made free by becoming His bond servants (Rom. 6:10)

·      We wax strong by being weak (2 Cor. 12:10)

·      We triumph by defeat (2 Cor. 12:7-9)

·      We find victory by glorying in our infirmities (2 Cor. 12:5)

·      But perhaps most difficult for all for us:

·      We live by dying (John 12:24,25; 2 Cor. 4:10,11) 

·      Beatitudes (Matt 5:3-12)

Let us live and challenge and encourage those in our area of influence to live the same way. Practically, this is another reason why we need to read and study the Bible daily to remind ourselves what true reality is – “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Matt 24:35.

Third, know that in the end, those you love most - your wife, your children and your grandchildren are the most important people in your life. What kind of legacy are you leaving behind for them? Your legacy, whether you like it or not, will impact generations to come in your family. Is it enough to just be known as a provider, a “fun” person, or a “good” person? (These are just a few examples – we all struggle with our superficial selves). I hope you will strive to be known as a man who loved God and was serious about the things of God. That your life reflected godliness and passion for what God loves and what God hates. Let’s build a legacy of faith in those we love. I’ve always asked myself, what is the most important legacy I can leave behind to my family? The answer? Godliness. I hope and pray that you will beat on heaven’s doors until God answers your prayers that each of your family members will “love God with all of their heart, mind, soul and strength.” Think about how future generations can look back to you as a godly forefather who impacted them by your actions, words and prayer life by the choices you made today.

Fourth, really understand more deeply the meaning of the Gospel. The Gospel is not only four Spiritual Laws, or the Roman Road to Salvation. The Gospel is so much, much, much, much more. Here are quotes about the Gospel:

“Many Christians live with a truncated view of the gospel. We see the gospel as the “door,” the way in, the entrance point into God’s Kingdom. But the gospel is so much more! It is not just the door, but the path we are to walk every day of the Christian Life. It is not just a means f our salvation, but the means of our transformation. It is not simply deliverance from sin’s penalty, but release from sin’s power. The gospel is what makes us right with God (justification) and it is also what frees us to delight in God (sanctification). The Gospel changes everything!”

“The gospel is not the first “step” in a “stairway” of truths, rather, it is more like the “hub” in a “wheel” of truth. The gospel is not just the A-B-C’s but the A to Z of Christianity. The gospel is not just the minimum required doctrine necessary to enter the kingdom, but the way we make all progress in the kingdom.” (Tim Keller)

We miss what the Gospel is because we only see it as a future reality when we get to heaven. But the Gospel is also a present reality.  A great book I can recommend here is called The Gospel by JD Greear. Or any book by Tim Keller.  We are changed not by being told what we need to do for God, but by hearing the good news about what He has done for us and letting that truth penetrate all aspects of our being. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Roman 1:16. (I’ve also included with this letter a write-up by Tim Keller on the Gospel.)

Fifth, the Christian life is a life of gratitude, not duty or anything else. Note Gal 2:20. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  There is a song by Steve Green that makes this point about how are lives must come out of the life of gratitude it’s called – Calvary is the Sea. Below.

No sacrifice I could give for you, 
Could match what you've given me, 
For my everything is but a drop of dew, 
And Calvary is the sea, 
Calvary is the sea.

Everything you and I do must come out of a gratitude for Calvary. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Sixth, understand deeper about faith. The Bible says, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, “He who through faith is righteous shall live. (Romans 1:17). Sometimes I struggle with fear for the possible lack God's daily provision. But God revealed this truth. If I trust my soul to the living God (which is far greater and eternal), then why don't I also trust God with my body (far lesser importance and temporal) for my daily provision? And I’m also getting tired of looking for outcomes and results from God instead of just having a trusting relationship with Him even if He doesn’t provide. Isn’t that what faith is all about like in Hebrews 11:39, “And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised,”. Admittedly, I’m not here yet but I desire this. And I challenge and encourage you my brother in Christ that wouldn’t it be great that at the end of our lives we can be close to this kind of life?

Which leads me to my final point, which is dying to self.  Luke 9:23 says, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me”.  Our culture wants to feed us the lie that life is BEST when we live for ourselves.  That is a lie, and it only causes sadness in families.  The Bible, God’s Word to us, tells us the exact opposite – and we know that it’s true.  By laying down your life, and sacrificing your time, your hobbies, and whatever else, you are investing in the souls of your family.  You are taking up the cross of being a father and husband, and putting your family first.  This isn’t easy, but it’s well worth it. As you die to self, life will begin to grow in them. It’s the way of the Kingdom. Jesus modeled it at Calvary. And He said it in John 12:24. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

In closing, let me illustrate. How many seeds are there in an apple? There are about 4-6 seeds in every apple. You and I can know how many seeds are in an apple but we can never know how many apples are in every seed that’s planted.  We are like this apple, if and when we live our lives according to His word…. which is illustrated and emphasized by these 7 principles I shared. I pray that the remaining of our days we would see this kind of harvest to our families, churches, community and world. To God be the Glory.