This week I am staying up at the Bible college while teaching a class Monday through Wednesday. This not only saves me time and energy, but it’s also a lot easier on gas!
I also like being on campus because it gives me a chance to unplug a bit…and examine my own life.
During the last class I’d drive back every day (we were working on the 24th anniversary service) and after a quick nap, dive into work in Barrouallie. There’s obviously nothing wrong with hard work, yet it doesn’t give much time for self-examination.
Those of you who read my posts know I’m working through “The Disciplines of Grace” by Jerry Bridges, and will actually share a post about what I’ve been learning tomorrow. This week has given me extra time to truly dig into that book.
And the truths learned both convicted, and encouraged me.
One of my favorte illustrations in the book I read last night about a plane with two wings. One wing read “Discipline” and the other wing read “Dependence.” Just like the plane could never fly with only one wing, the Christian life could never work without both discipline and dependence.
As the sun set last night I was reminded I’d fallen back into discipline instead of dependence. Thats easy for me because I’m “activity oriented” and hate just sitting around doing nothing. Yet that focus on discipline can cause me to easily ignore dependence. In extreme cases that means doing the work of discipline in my own strength instead of the Lords.
In the quietness of last night I confessed to the Lord my imbalanced spiritiually, and by His grace rededicated myself to dependence and discipline.
But it’s only in the quiet moment I realized that.
I’m thankful for the busy days in ministry but the Lord reminded me last night those quiet moments are important as well.
Because that’s often when He speaks the loudest.
Johnhwilburn.org 