One Life

(email from March 1st, 2006 regarding our fast which we observe the first Wednesday of each month for CBS)

Andy, team,

Thanks for the reminder - I forgot to send a reminder to you all!

We’re in the middle of our fast - a good day. I was reading in Oswald Sander’s book on Spiritual Leadership and was very convicted when reading his section on discipline. As you know discipline is not the only or main focus of fasting (let me know if you didn’t read my short write-up on fasting and would like to receive it), but fasting certainly is an important
component of discipline. Also one area of discipline tends to impact discipline in other areas. Conversely lack of discipline in one area (whether in food, exercise, devotions, sexual purity, etc.) tends to impact other areas.

Sanders writes about discipline - “without this essential quality, all other gifts remain as dwarfs: they cannot grow.” Later he says, “Many who drop out of ministry are sufficiently gifted, but have large areas of life floating free from the Holy Spirit’s control. Lazy and disorganized people never rise to true leadership.” (p.52).

He also shares examples of people who have with lots of help from a disciplined life made significant impact in this world.

George Whitefield (who by the way was also founder of U. Penn) rose at four in the morning and retired at ten each night.

Amy Carmichael wrote these words:

God, harden me against myself,
The coward with pathetic voice
Who craves for ease and rest and joy.
Myself, arch-traitor to myself,
My hollowest friend,
My deadliest foe,
My clog, whatever road I go.

Pray for yourselves and for me that we might know such discipline and godliness in our lives. “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness….” (1 Tim 4:7)

Michael