Three Simple Rules

John Wesley had three simple rules to follow. this advice is still as good for us today as it was when he first penned them. they are:

Do no harm by any word or deed;
Do good wherever there is need.
Remain attentive to God's word.

Three simple rules, but how often we struggle with them! We are to watch our words and our actions. Why? To make sure that we do no harm to those around us. An idle word, or a negligent action can make a big difference in the lives of those we come into contact. A friend of mine wrote in his facebook status today that someone who attended his church told him, "Only losers who can't make it in the real world become ministers!" Thankfully, he is strong enough to take that criticism, but the meanness in such a statement is evident. Many years ago, I spent a day on a pig farm and the pig farmer spent a day doing youth ministry with me. After the end of the two days, we BOTH were glad to do our own jobs! We are called to different tasks and no task in its self makes one a loser. However, how we treat our tasks (and the people we come into contact) does!

Doing good wherever there is a need is a hard one. Why? Because we tend to ignore the things that are going on around us (if at all possible) that are not pleasant. It doesn't matter where you live, there are people who need your help. It could be as simple as giving directions to someone who is lost or as difficult (and painful) as becoming a bone marrow donor. The key idea is being aware enough of what is going on around you to be able to do the good that you can do.

The final rule is what makes the first two possible. Remain attentive to God's word. It is here that we find the knowledge of the good and the strength to do it. We live in an increasingly evil world. If we could just get Christians to follow these three simple rules, we could begin to make a difference. We may never be able to solve all of the world's problems, but let us each find a little piece of the problem to fix this week!