Rule of Life | D.J. Marotta

Written By Carrie Reale

That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
—Ephesians 4:20-24

We’re going to start by saying this: “rule of life” does NOT equal a set of rules. 

Rather, take this definition given by Jubilee 2025 speaker, D.J. Marotta: “A rule of life is a set of intentional practices that a community of Christians commit to following together in order to grow as followers of Jesus.”

Definitely doesn’t seem as scary when we look at it like that, right? 

Now that we have the definition settled, let’s talk about why we should take on some intentional practices. 

If you’ve been around Christian practices for any amount of time, you’ll probably be familiar with “inside out” type language. As you make changes on the inside, stuff changes on the outside too. As we have faith in Jesus and take in the truth of scripture, we change inside. And that change then causes us to live differently on the outside. 

Totally great. But what if there’s an additional way to change and grow? What if there’s an “outside in” kind of growth? 

This is where a rule of life can come into play. As we take on new practices (read: outside changes!) that cooperate with the Holy Spirit and the teachings of Jesus, our insides change.

We invite you to press into this! Keep scrolling to listen to the first drop of a live workshop recording from Jubilee 2025. Grab a notebook and pen…you’re going to want to take some notes!

 
 

also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other platforms!

If there's anything we can leave you with, it's this: practice this in community. You have brothers and sisters in Christ who A) desire to walk with you in your faith journey and B) desire someone to walk with them. Grab a friend, chat with your campus minister, and start a group chat! 

Lord, may all of us be transformed by the inside out AND the outside in.

— The Jubilee Team

Carrie Reale
Next

Restoration | Jess Joustra