The Wheel
Illustration
How to Live a Balanced Life
Re-entering the Earth's
Atmosphere
After the high of coming to faith in
Christ and falling back to earth, how do you maintain
an excitement about your new-found faith? How do you
still have that excitement twenty years later? The answer
to this question lies in the balanced Christian life.
Your relationship with your creator is like the relationship
with your spouse: it takes work. Coasting won't bring
you into a deeper relationship with God anymore than
it will deepen your relationship with your spouse.
Living a balanced life is a daily decision. It involves
several spiritual disciplines, none of which can afford
to be neglected. Dawson Trotman, founder of The Navigators,
developed an illustration to help demonstrate the importance
of of these disciplines. Over time, the The
Wheel Illustration has been modified to its current
form.
The Volitional Dimension
The Hub: Christ the Center
Memory verses: 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Galatians 2:20
Christ should be the center of your life. Decisions
should be filtered through a matrix that has serving
and honoring Christ at the center. Faith is an act of
the will, a choice to make Christ the central focus
of your life.
The Rim: Obedience to Christ
Memory verses: Romans 12:1 and John 14:21
One definition of faith is "living as though the
Bible of true, even when it doesn't feel like it is
true." Obedience to Christ does not save you. Instead,
it is a demonstration of your love for Him. What is
the reward for your obedience? Jesus reveals himself
more fully to you.
The Vertical Dimension
The Word Spoke
Memory verses: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and Joshua 1:8
The Bible, or God's Word, is the way He speaks to us.
God's Word is sufficient for our every need. It has
both milk for baby Christians and meat for more mature
believers. We grow in our understanding of God's Word
through Bible reading, Bible study, and Scripture memory.
I personally recommend The
One Year Bible.
The Prayer Spoke
Memory verses: John 15:7 and Philippians 4:6-7
If the Word is how God speaks to us, prayer is how
we speak to Him. Prayer is not the secret tool Christians
use to manipulate God and get what we want. Instead,
God uses life's events, both good and bad, to bring
Christians to the point of prayer.
The Horizontal Dimension
The Fellowship Spoke
Memory Verses: 1 John 1:3 and Hebrews 10:24-25
Fellowship is time spent with other Christians in order
to encourage, build up, love, and sometimes even correct
one another.
"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another"
(Proverbs 27:17).
The Witnessing Spoke
Memory Verses: Matthew 4:19 and Romans 1:16
Christ offers us the abundant life. A natural response
to this wonderful gift is to share the good news with
others. However, it is not just an option for Christians.
We are commanded to make disciples of all the nations.
A Well-Balanced Wheel
A balanced Christian life requires that all parts of
the wheel receive attention. If you are very strong
on all aspects of the wheel except The Word, then you
can easily be led astray by improper doctrine. If you
are strong on everything except Witnessing, then you'll
never know the joy of leading someone to Christ and
helping him grow in his faith.
Having a strong hub, rim and spokes won't eliminated
the bumps in life's roads, but it will help you travel
over them.
Take a good look at your life. If you are missing or
neglecting a particular spiritual discipline, begin
work on correcting it today.
James G. Lewis
|
