The Balanced Christian Life 

 

So, have you ever thought about whether you should be praying instead of praising? Fasting instead of feasting? Or studying instead of witnessing? Singing or sleeping? Home with the family or working to provide for them? Heading off to worship practice at church with your friends or staying home a helping your mom clean the bathroom? I’m sure you have; and you must devote much scrutiny to these things and not become imbalanced in any area. (Remember spiritual leg day!)

Of course, we are on our own journeys and courses as we press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ. (Ac.20:24, Heb.12:1-2, Rom.12:1-2, Phil.3:14) And as such we are at different stages of maturity as is everyone else. So, let’s not be too quick to judge our brother. Give them space and time with prayer and watching.

The Christian’s life involves our ever changing and adapting to internal and external forces designed and personally tailored by God to conform us into the image of Christ. (Rom.8:28, Prv.5:21, 20:24, 16:1,9, Heb.4:12-13) God chooses certain experiences and brings us into interaction with others and their actions which manifest within us thoughts and intentions that are imbalanced, deficient and wrong. They may wrongly compliment us and we get puffed up with pride. They may rightly criticize us and we get bitter and angry. We might be prone to treat a rich attractive person in a more accommodating way while the ugly or poor we might secretly disdain. (Jam.2:1-9) We might get stuck in traffic or can’t get something fixed and get furious at the circumstances. (Anger is the quickest motivator to shut off rational thinking. Eph.4:26, Prv.14:29, Ecc.7:9)

Care of the body is an important component to a balanced life, thus your sleep patterns and your work or exercise activities, sweating, diet, fasting, feasting, marital obligations are very important contributors to your mood and disposition. Each of which must be done in moderation and self-control. (Phil.4:5, Ex.20:9-10, Mk.6:31, Ecc.5:12, 1 Tim.4:8, 1 Cor.6:12-13, 7:2-5) But I want to use this time here to bring to focus the balance of the spirit and soul. We have had many discussions regarding this here, but I hope to provide a thumbnail sketch of the dangers of not keeping each in check. They will lead to different errors in judgment- both disastrous. When you feed your spirit and develop it more than your soul you are prone to make certain decisional mistakes. Likewise, if you focus on nourishing your soul and neglecting your spirit your tendency will be to fall into other snares. Is it that you are too caring or actually too cowardly?

This is the nature of wisdom- to discern both time and judgment. Should I rebuke or entreat? Nurture or admonish? Openly or in private? Is this the best time to bring this up or do I wait? A wise man considers these things and seeks the leading of the Spirit of God (Rom.8:14, Gal.5:18, 1 Thes.4:9). But when we are not balanced, we will tend to behave certain ways over certain other ways. We don’t want to believe something without enough evidence naively, neither do you want to deny something when there is sufficient evidence stubbornly. The simple believeth every word and fools hate knowledge. (Prv.14:15. 1:22) Are you more prone to fall into Nicolaitane or Balaam/Jezebel errors?

The Christian life is a life of faith and faith is rooted in the exceeding great and precious promises of God (Rom.10:17, 2 Pt.1:4, 2 Cor 7:1). So, trust in God’s saving power through Christ to make you what you should be when you should be as you continue stedfastly to what you will be! Trust in God’s will power- not yours! God is able to fix us through the resurrection power of Christ as we take up our cross daily. Consider these promises and let your faith be increased:

Phil. 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Heb.13:20-1 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Acts 20:32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

1 Cor.10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

2 Cor.9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

Heb.7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Psa.138:8 The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.

Isa.26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Jam.1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Eph.2:8-10 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Eph.1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: