Here is a list of forty personal principles and values that I have collected and review from time to time.  It is convicting for me to go through these, since they are all beyond my experience.  This list may be of use to you as you seek to integrate your life in Christ with your life in the world.

(This is an appendix to the section on holistic spirituality in my book, Conformed to His Image.)

1 Faith: a radical trust in the sovereignty and goodness of God.  God is in control and has my best interests at heart.

2 Hope: anchored in the promises of God.

3 Love: a deepening love for God (mind, emotions, will, actions) based on growing intimacy with Him.

4  The temporal versus the eternal—I must treat the temporal as temporal and the eternal as eternal by esteeming the invisible over the visible.

5  More than anything else, a passion to know God.

6  Compassion for the lost.

7  Since I cannot live on yesterday’s faith, I must be willing to take greater risks based on God’s character and promises.

8  A growing awareness of my profound need for grace in all things.

9  A clearer understanding of the truth that my deepest needs are met in Christ, so that I am secure enough to serve others without manipulating relationships to get my needs met.

10  Developing a spirit of humility, complete dependence, and teachability.

11  A willingness to forgive others as Christ has forgiven me.

12  Treating people with grace, dignity, and possibility.

13  A stewardship mentality—increased awareness of God’s ownership of all things and an attitude of contentment in all things.

14  Commitment to ongoing exercise and renewal of spirit, soul, and body.

15  Personal integrity—a congruence between the inside and the outside.

16  Openness and honesty in relationships.

17  Radical commitment to the Great Commandment.

18  Radical commitment to the Great Commission.

19  Standing firm in the spiritual warfare by submitting to God and resisting the lures of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

20  Practicing Christ’s presence in all things and doing everything to His glory.

21  Accountability to godly people and a willingness to respond with humility to exhortation and rebuke so that I will not be enmeshed in self-deception.

22  Maintaining an ongoing sense of childlike wonder and awe.

23  Focusing on the process and not the product; genuine ministry flows out of being as an extension of who I am in Christ.

24  Walking in the power of the Spirit and putting no confidence in the flesh.

25  Being fully alive to the present and not living in the past or the future.

26  Living each day as though it were my last, and treating relationships in the same way.  Cultivating the mentality of a sojourner, pilgrim, stranger, and alien as I wait expectantly for my true home.

27  Growing responsiveness and sensitivity to God’s loving initiatives.

28  An ongoing attitude of thanksgiving and joy that transcends my circumstances.  A willingness to cling to God’s character in the midst of life’s pains and pleasures.

29  Manifesting the fruit of the Spirit by abiding in Christ.

30  A commitment to ongoing renewal of the mind so that I can grow in intimacy with God and not be seduced by the culture.

31  An increased willingness to live out the truth that everything God asks me to do is for my ultimate good, and that everything He asks me to avoid is detrimental to my soul.

32  An awareness that good and evil both increase at compound interest, and a corresponding desire to live in the light of Luke 16:10.

33  A desire to give my life in exchange for the things God declares to be important; a willingness to define success by the standard of the Word (relational) and not by the standard of the world (functional).

34  The pursuit of godly mentors who are farther along in the spiritual journey.

35  An understanding that habits of holiness are sustained by discipline and dependence; unholy habits are sustained by default.

36  I must be faithful to the process and let go of ownership of the results.

37  A firm belief that since the ministry cannot be measured, I must be content with what God has given me and not compare my ministry with others.

38  Asking God for the three faithful wounds of contrition, compassion, and longing after God.

39  Continued and responsible cultivation of giftedness while at the same time depending less on knowledge and skills and more on the power of the Holy Spirit.

40  Commitment to the centrality of Christ in all I am and do.

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