Every morning, he woke up with a ledger in his head. On one side: Deposits for God . He listed his quiet time (30 minutes), his patience with his forgetful wife (good), his donation to the food pantry ($50), and his avoidance of that gossipy neighbor (barely). On the other side: Withdrawals by God . He worried about his adult son, felt a spike of jealousy when a younger elder was praised, and skipped prayer before a business meeting.
One Tuesday, his pastor asked him to visit a man named Leo, a gruff retired fisherman who had recently stumbled into church, hungover and ashamed. Leo had accepted Christ the previous Sunday—mumbling a prayer between sobs—but now he was terrified. transforming grace jerry bridges pdf
“Leo,” Arthur said quietly, sitting down. “Do you know why you’re afraid?” Every morning, he woke up with a ledger in his head
The next morning, he walked past the food pantry, past his prayer list, past his fears—and for the first time in decades, he simply said to God: “Thank You. Not because I was good. But because You are.” On the other side: Withdrawals by God
“Because I failed.”
Here is a story inspired by Jerry Bridges’ teaching. Arthur Macon had been a faithful church treasurer for thirty-one years. He was meticulous, precise, and—by his own admission—exhausted.
Arthur opened his mouth to give a firm lecture on self-discipline. Instead, something cracked inside him. He saw his own ledger—the endless columns of “good days” and “bad days.” He saw Leo, drowning in the same math.