Seven Rules of a Monk

These are the seven rules of a monk
In the first place, as Scripture says,
“Love God with all your soul and all your mind.”
Then, love your fellow human beings
As you love yourself.
Fast from all evil.
Never pass judgment on anyone, for any cause.
Never do evil to anyone.
Discipline yourself and purge yourself
From material and spiritual evil.
Cultivate a modest and gentle heart.
If you can do all these things
and see only your own faults, not those of others,
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
will be with you abundantly.

Sayings of the Egyptian Fathers

What better employ could there be for a worker than a boss, yet a company, that was full of the very grace of the Lord Jesus Christ? What better place to worship, to trust and to grow than a local Body of believers full of the very grace of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Grace – the unmerited favor that results in strength to the believers and blessings to all to whom it is extended. Grace that comes from God can be extended by man to other men. Women can give unmerited favor to those who choose to receive it because it has first been given to them.

But much like those that we would like to bless and to be gracious to – helping them to see and to grow – we must receive God’s grace. The Church and Christian leaders are often impotent despite their desire to be truly gracious. Instead, they find themselves only gracious to those who “merit” such grace. But that is not grace at all.

If we were to ensure that our lives as leaders matched the “seven rules of the monk” (all Biblical commands), we would certainly find ourselves in a great position to extend grace to those around us. As leaders, we must go there first.