Application implies doing, even when that doing may involve our mental or emotional capacities instead of or in addition to actions we might take. For example, suppose developed a principle from Jonah's prayer in the fish such as "In all circumstances I can remember Who God is and praise Him." The doing for this principle might include a re-examination of my current circumstances in light of this fresh perspective. It might include a decision to start every morning reading a psalm, or singing a song. In this case, I've identified some mental processing, and a physical action as part of the application of the principle.
Sometimes it's a pretty straightforward process to move from a principle to application. If I'm reminded of the value God places on forgiveness and there's a situation in my life that requires my forgiveness, then extending forgiveness in the situation is exactly what I need to do. Having said that, it might still be difficult to forgive in this situation, so my application might involve actions that prepare me to do so -- praying for a forgiving spirit, talking to someone who can help talk me through it, considering the forgiveness I've received, etc. Application is generally not a one-time, there I did it, activity.
What about the situation where I'm not quite sure how the principle applies to my life, or I'm pretty sure I'm not considering the principle as thoroughly as I might. That's where the concept of the circle and spokes can be useful. The idea behind this technique is to take the principle and examine it in light of all areas of my life. The principle is written in the circle, and the spokes define different areas of my life. The most important consideration after developing the principle is figuring out "What are the areas of my life?"
In the study guide, I've given you three lists that are someone's approach to dividing up a life into areas and activities that cover the bases. This would be their idea of what the spokes should be. OK, so the first set is not just "someone's" approach, but Jesus' way of looking at the aspects of our being -- heart, soul, mind, and strength. Let's use that approach to work through the process of developing personal application steps from a principle we've discovered in the book of Jonah.
In the picture above, I've drawn a circle and spoke approach for the principle (1) Go where and when God calls me. The spokes (2) for heart, soul, mind, and strength have been added to the drawing. Now, I just have to do some serious thinking about all of this.
I understand strength to be about my resources - physical strength, health, financial assets, skills, etc. (Remember this is my list and yours may differ.) One of my conclusions is that I'm out of shape -- physically and financially -- to be able to easily drop what I'm doing to go a long distance from where I am, say to Nineveh. This doesn't mean I should just avoid answering a true call, but it does mean that there is work I should be doing with an understanding of the potential call to a really big life change. I can also see that I don't always fully engage my strength in my going now. (This blog entry could have been written on Monday, not this morning.)
Hopefully, you can see how moving around the spokes will surface related, but different application steps to consider for this principle.
And that is what the circle and spokes are all about. While you can use one of the lists of spokes from Q3, you may want to develop your own list. Or maybe you already have one that you gleaned somewhere else or have already developed. Just make sure the list is thorough when it comes to thinking about how, and where, you live your life.
