The Common Rule by Justin Whitmel Earley
Week 10: The Habits Together — Love of God and Neighbor
Read the chapter(s) in The Common Rule that draw the habits together around the double love command. Key Scripture: Matthew 22:36–40; Deuteronomy 6:4–9.
Previewing Week 10 of The Common Rule
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 13-week guide when you’re ready.
Earley does not present these eight habits as eight separate items on a checklist — he argues they hang together as a coherent expression of the Great Commandment. This week, try to see the whole before you return to the parts.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Earley organizes the eight habits around the Great Commandment — love God, love neighbor — suggesting that the daily habits (prayer, Scripture, phone sabbath) tend toward love of God, while the weekly habits (friendship, curated media, fasting, Sabbath) tend toward love of neighbor and self. Does that organizing principle make sense to you? Does it hold up?
2.He argues that these habits are not ends in themselves but practices that make space for love — that we don't do them to become virtuous but to become free enough and present enough to love the people in front of us. How does that framing change your motivation for practicing them?
3.Which of the eight habits has the most natural traction in your life right now — one that already feels like a rhythm? Which one produces the most resistance?
a.What does the resistance tell you about where you most need grace to grow?
b.Is there a connection between your area of most resistance and your deepest anxieties or idols?