Submitted by David Miller
Now may the Lord direct your
hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ. 2 Thessalonians 3:5
We have been talking about
finding balance in our lives for the last couple of days. We all know the difficulty in doing so,
between jobs, kids, mother in laws, sports, church, house cleaning, lawn care,
etc. it can be difficult. A good balance
in your life with the extracurricular activities and the responsibilities is
vital. But what about balance in your
spiritual life?
Jesus said the first and greatest commandment is, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind" Matthew 22:37.
Mark's Gospel adds the word "strength" to this statement (see
Mark 12:30).
To break it down, some people love God with all of their minds, but there
is no heart in it. They love to study. They love to be theologically correct.
But there is no passion in their lives. On the other hand, some people love God
with all of their heart and their passion and their emotion, but they haven't
disciplined themselves to study the Bible or to grow in their faith. Thus, they
are easily led astray because their faith has not taken root in their
hearts. The reality is that we need all
these things in play to love God as we ought to love Him.
I have known people who are sticklers for correct doctrine, yet many of
them are miserable, mean, arrogant, and condemning. They will take the truth
and use it like a sledgehammer in the life of another person. I also know
people who are very active and are perceptually busy for God, but their service
for Him seems to be lacking in depth and commitment. Their enthusiasm wanes and they fizzle
out.
Usually we think of a balanced life in terms of how much time we have
(or don’t have!) for fun, relaxation, or how we can juggle our crazy long to-do
lists. But what if we thought of a balanced life in terms of how effective we
are in serving God in all the ways He calls us? Are we putting “first things
first” or are we doing life all backwards and then wondering why it feels out
of balance? Matthew
6:33 “Seek first his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be
given to you as well.”
If we can learn to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, then our
lives will find the elusive balance we all long for.
